Tenderness / Duff McKagan.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

While his bandmates in Guns N' Roses brought the sleaze, swagger, and rock & roll decadence, bassist Duff McKagan was always the punk component. If that meant pushing the band to do a Misfits cover or channeling Johnny Thunders on the rare song where he provided lead vocals, McKagan always brought an energy to the mixture that made GN'R stand out from the legions of interchangeable hair metal acts. This punk edge stayed with the iconic bassist in the years that followed, be it on his scrappy solo albums in the '90s or in edgy riffing with Velvet Revolver. On McKagan's third solo album, Tenderness, he turns towards gentle country-tinged songwriting, but his punk spirit emerges in the unexpected form of social consciousness. On the Shooter Jennings-assisted album, most of the 11 songs center around political critique, social unrest, and even perspectives on gun violence, homelessness, and the #MeToo movement. The album followed a time that found McKagan rejoining Guns N' Roses for the "Not in This Lifetime" world tour and writing his second book, entering his fifties as a sober family man and a lifetime away from the debauchery and recklessness of his early years. This maturity manifests throughout Tenderness in the form of sincere and well-crafted songwriting. The album opening title track slowly unfolds with melancholy piano chords and swells of pedal steel guitar. McKagan, never a particularly stunning singer or lyricist, sounds confident and inspired here, playing to his strengths and shining in this slower, heartfelt ballad. On this song and many others, looking for hope in dark times emerges as one of the album's main themes. "It's Not Too Late" and "Chip Away" both look at divided American politics, "Last September" tells a story of retribution surrounding a sexual assault and "Falling Down" deals with opioid addiction, all set to swaying country-rock. Sad melodies are underpinned by rusty fiddle playing and steady rootsy arrangements, molding the songs into a hybrid of mellow rock and honky tonk. Tenderness is a nuanced and surprisingly well-balanced album, with only the heavy-handed gloom of "Parkland" (a well-intended but questionably executed song about school shootings) breaking up the flow. Older, wiser, and more concerned with the greater good than selfish excess, Duff McKagan's punk edge hasn't left him, but instead has been refined into a loving world view that believes there's still a chance for humanity. This bright outlook combines nicely with some of the strongest and most disarming songwriting of McKagan's winding career. ~ Fred Thomas