Personnel include: Lindsey Buckingham (vocals, various instruments); John McVie (bass guitar); Mick Fleetwood (percussion).
Despite being the principal songwriter and sound architect for Fleetwood Mac, one of the biggest selling pop/rock bands in music history, Lindsey Buckingham's standing as "pop genius" has always been a topic of debate amongst rock musos. UNDER THE SKIN (2006), Buckingham's first solo album in nearly 15 years, contains all of the hallmarks of the artist's singular approach and presents a solid illustration of his musical brilliance. A studio scientist if there ever was one, Buckingham surrounds his acoustic-based songs (many of which hint at the aforementioned discussion over his legacy) with the same pristine, near-compulsively textured production that made "Second Hand News" and "Monday Morning" such revelations. And while UNDER THE SKIN is considerably more subtle and impressionistic than Fleetwood Mac's smashes, it doesn't lack for the band's sonic majesty. This album isn't going to be Buckingham's personal RUMORS, but it will certainly remind listeners why that album specifically and his talent in general need not be debated.

Rolling Stone (p.70) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "With its skewed pop melodies, home-brewed sonic trickery and blazing fingerpicking, UNDER THE SKIN is a mesmerizing return to the side of Buckingham that birthed the proto-indie-pop strangeness of 1979's TUSK."
Rolling Stone (p.108) - Ranked #42 in Rolling Stone's "The Top 50 Albums Of 2006" -- "[T]he eccentricity of SKIN suits Buckingham's reflections on his past life and current blessings."
Entertainment Weekly (p.70) - "His fingerpicking is impossibly frantic in its nervous virtuosity, and each near-whisper is miked to sound like a scream. It's the spartan-yet-gonzo sound of a guy remembering he can go his own way." -- Grade: B+
No Depression (p.100) - "His relentless fingerpicking is powerful on 'Not Too Late' and 'Shut Us Down'; his vocal overdubbing is inspired on 'Show You How' and 'Cast Away Dreams'."
(p.133) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "A proper solo affair featuring Buckingham's breathy vocals, acoustic guitar and little else, UNDER THE SKIN knits accessible Buckingham together with his more daring side."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.118) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "It is in essence a modern folk record, its minimalist beauty reminiscent of Nick Drake or John Martyn..."