On Friday, Oct. 20, Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan released his third solo album titled “Lighthouse.” If fans are looking for three words to describe the entire album then the correct words to use are energy, emotion, and power.
“Lighthouse” is the second solo record to be released by McKagan after rejoining Guns N’ Roses for the Not In This Lifetime Reunion tour. McKagan’s second solo, 2019s “Tenderness” was released back in 2019 and was the first solo album in 26 years for the Seattle, Washington native.
McKagan’s new record contains 11 songs, lasts 41 minutes, and features fellow rockers like Guns N’ Roses bandmate Slash, Jerry Cantrell from Alice in Chains, and Iggy Pop.
The first song on the record which so happens to be the title track sets the tone for the entire record. On “Lighthouse,” McKagan has taken a more laid-back and stripped-down approach to this music which is completely different from the Guns N’ Roses material.
My absolute favorite song on the entire record is track two, “Longfeather.” The start of the song features a piano and drums which creates a cool feel to the song and sets the track moving forward.
“Longfeather” has a jumpy vibe to it that allows listeners to picture the woods and Pacific Ocean of McKagan’s home city of Seattle, Washington. I truly love this song. I think it fits in well with the rest of the material on the album but also is different enough to the point that it stands out among the other songs.
Despite not being a traditional singer like his current vocalist in Guns N’ Roses, Axl Rose, McKagan’s voice is extremely unique.
There is something about the higher, rougher range in his voice that immediately grabs the listener’s attention.
Track seven, “Just Another Shakedown,” is another standout song from this record. McKagan was influenced by punk rockers like The Clash, Black Flag, and The Misfits and you can definitely hear the punk influence on this song.
In a song that is heavier than any of the other songs that came before this on the record, McKagan lets loose and belts out lyrics like “It’s another shakedown, just like the one we had before, it’s another breakdown, they talk the rich, they talk the poor, just like before.”
Of all the songs that came before “Just Another Shakedown,” it seems like this song is more of the rebellion, raise your fist, and yell song. I like that it’s different than the first six songs and it simply works.
The ninth song on the record, “Hope” features Slash on guitar and the chemistry between the two is as clear as day. Of all the songs to contain guest appearances, it’s extremely difficult to pick a song that isn’t this one.
Slash does a beautiful job on guitar while also not taking away the spotlight from McKagan. The solo on this song is great, it’s not too flashy, and it’s melodic and mysterious which leaves listeners begging for more.
The following track, “I Just Don’t Know” features Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell. As a fan of both Guns N’ Roses and Alice in Chains, it’s great to see that there is a strong friendship between both bands. In fact, Alice in Chains has been opening for Guns N’ Roses on their North American tour.
Fans got a taste of Cantrell’s acoustic guitar playing on his solo record, 2021’s “Brighten” and now, fans see Cantrell’s acoustic skills again on this beautiful song.
Despite McKagan not releasing a lot of material often, when he does, he makes sure that it’s strong and powerful. While listening to this album I was just blown away by his raw emotion throughout. In terms of emotion, it reminds me a lot of The Foo Fighters’ most recent record which they released this past summer.
From start to finish, McKagan added a great collection of songs to this record, and in terms of his solo material, this record is without a doubt his best effort yet.
Let’s now take a look at The Singer’s Thoughts:
- As I mentioned before, this is McKagan’s strongest effort yet. The energy also sends chills down my spine
- I truly can’t wait to see the next release from McKagan. If he has a back catalog of songs like the ones on “Lighthouse” then it’ll also be just as amazing.
- Even though the special guests on this record, it would still have been so great. As a GNR fan, it does bug me that Slash and McKagan have recorded new music yet we can’t get a new GNR record
Overall Grade: 7/10
