Duff McKagan has been an irrepressible creative force for almost 40 years, spanning numerous bands, tours, collaborations, and writings. With his long-awaited new solo album, Lighthouse, the veteran artist demonstrates that, at his core, he is a great singer-songwriter with a special sense of sincerity and reflection.
McKagan acquired his own recording studio in 2019, allowing him to “finally explore songs that I may have written the night before or some of those old riffs from years ago.” This is significant to me.” He spent the following two years working on a series of extremely personal new songs with longtime producer and collaborator Martin Feveyear (Mark Lanegan, Brandi Carlile).
Lighthouse is the first full-length compilation to emerge from McKagan’s studio. Songs like HOPE (featuring veteran Paul McCartney drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. and melodic lead guitar from Slash) and the philosophical I JUST DON’T KNOW (featuring contributions from McKagan’s longtime friend, Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains) see McKagan baring more of his artistic spirit than ever before, fusing acoustic elements with hard-edged rock ‘n’ roll to land at the sweet spot between soul-searching reflection and pure energy. The 11-song collection is completed with an alternate take on the title tune, Lighthouse(Reprise), featuring the one and only Iggy Pop.
McKagan debuted his new music earlier this year with This is the Song, a three-song EP honoring Mental Health Awareness Month that included a call to action. The EP, which has received critical acclaim in Rolling Stone, Consequence of Sound, Loudwire, and American Songwriter, to name a few, includes the deeply touching title track, This is the song, which has an official companion video that is currently streaming on YouTube.
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