Review DUFF McKAGAN ‘Lighthouse’

Duff McKagan can be considered one of the real greats in music business without a guilty conscience. From small smoky clubs to the big arena shows, McKagan has experienced everything in his career. With Guns’N’Roses he enjoyed the big successes and with Velvet Revolver another successful band followed.

With ‘Lighthouse’ the songwriter and bassist releases a new solo album; his third. From a total of 60 songs, the best 11 pieces were selected, which now have become the tracklist of ‘Lighthouse’.

Four years after the release of ‘Tenderness’ McKagan returns and it impresses with what power the exceptional artist goes to work. The range of songs is a wide one, which is best seen in the middle section of the album.

With ‘Fallen Down’ and ‘Forgiveness’ the quiet and very emotional moments get the full attention. After that it is the hard guitar sound which announces ‘Just Another Shakedown’. The snappy song must be listened to at full volume, because only then it unfolds its anarchic punk spirit, which is also reflected in the lyrics.

After this thumping excursion the album continues with ‘Fallen Ones’ and it is again the deep emotional moments that take over the helm. Here it is clear that McKagan’s lyrics deal with social problems and emotion topics of today. At the same time, ‘Lighthouse’, the song is a love song to his wife, has also become a very personal album that invites you to reflect throughout. When McKagan sings “I have sailed across the ocean, hit by wind and storm”, then this is a very personal reflection and at the same time everyone has experienced such moments, in which a ‘lighthouse’ helps to find the right direction.

One of the best songs on ‘I Saw God on 10th Street’ which shows the entire range of the album in one song.

Towards the end of the album McKagan, who by the way is also an excellent singer, gets support from a couple of companions. Slash contributes filigree guitar parts to ‘Hope’; a rocking and very rhythm-based anthem. With ‘I Just Don’t Know’ follows a song that features Jerry Cantrell, addressing what comes next in life and about the unknown ahead of you.

The album started with ‘Lighthouse’ and ‘Lighthouse Reprise’ ends this very well-done record. With Iggy Pop’s voice the closing track has a special impact.

Excellently crafted and musically a treat, that’s how ‘Lighthouse’ bursts out of the speakers. This longplayer is McKagan’s best album to date. It is a mature and emotion-laden release that ranges musically somewhere between Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and the Ramones. And that is not an exaggeration.