Tenderness is the second solo album by Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan, released on May 31, 2019. Loudwire named it one of the 50 best rock albums of 2019.
Though Tenderness is McKagan's second album to be released, it is actually his third one to be produced following the unreleased Beautiful Disease.
The album was inspired by McKagan's global travels on Guns N' Roses' Not in This Lifetime... Tour and is considered a musical follow up to his 2015 How to be a Man book. The recording of the album began in-between McKagan's tour with Guns N' Roses and featured collaborations with Shooter Jennings, The Waters and The Suicide Horn Section, amongst others.
The song "Last September" was written as a warning in support of Me Too movement with its lyrics detailing an unwanted sexual encounter.
The song "Wasted Heart" is a re-recording of the song from the 2009 Duff McKagan's Loaded album Sick.
In a 2022 interview with The Wall Street Journal, Bob Dylan singled out the track "Chip Away" from Tenderness, saying that it had "profound meaning" for him and comparing its "chip away" refrain to Michelangelo's sculpture of David and to his own practice of overwriting songs and then cutting them back in revision.
Duff McKagan made a video announcement of two solo live shows featuring Shooter Jennings to occur in May previewing a new song during the video on February 19, 2019. The song was later revealed as the first single, "Tenderness", released on 22 February 2019, accompanied by the lyric video. The second song released from the album along with the announcement of the album details was "Chip Away". On April 19 McKagan premiered the third new song "Don't Look Behind You" and on May 17 another new song titled "Last September".
A tour in support of the album featuring Shooter Jennings is set to start on May 30, 2019.
The album was released in several versions, including on CD, LP and deluxe yellow and red starburst coloured LP editions. The LP edition of the album omits the track "Cold Outside" and switches the order of "Feel" and "Breaking Rocks".
All songs written by Duff McKagan except unless noted.