The Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan has had a fascinating life. McKagan started out playing in Seattle punk bands like the Fastbacks and the Fartz. He moved to Los Angeles in 1983, joined Guns N’ Roses a couple of year later, and then spent years with one of the biggest and notorious rock bands in the world. McKagan left GN’R in 1997 and then rejoined in 2016. In his years away from GN’R, McKagan played in a bunch of bands — Velvet Revolver, Loaded, a quick stint in Jane’s Addiction. He also wrote a charming Seattle Weekly column and an advice book, nurtured a frankly adorable public friendship with Krist Novoselic, and remained way better-looking than any ’80s rocker had any right to be. And now he’s getting ready to release a solo album.

McKagan’s new solo album — the first that’ll see release since 1993’s Believe In Me — doesn’t have a title or release date, but judging by its first single, it could be really good. On the album, McKagan worked closely with producer Shooter Jennings, a country music iconoclast and the son of Waylon. McKagan and Jennings put in work between McKagan’s Guns N’ Roses tours, and they’ve just shared first single “Tenderness.”

“Tenderness” is a big song, one that nods toward classic soul and country and ’70s classic rock. McKagan sings on it, and he sings hard. It’s pretty! And even if you’re not the type of person to look forward to latter-day solo albums from Guns N’ Roses members, you might find yourself liking it. It’s below.

McKagan has announced some solo shows, with Jennings and his band backing him up. They’ll play 5/30 at Philadelphia’s TLA and 5/31 at Washington, DC’s City Winery.