This paper revisits a recently developed methodology based on the matrix Lambert W function for the stability analysis of linear time invariant, time delay systems. By studying a particular, yet common, second order system, we show that in general there is no one to one correspondence between the branches of the matrix Lambert W function and the characteristic roots of the system. Furthermore, it is shown that under mild conditions only two branches suffice to find the complete spectrum of the system, and that the principal branch can be used to find several roots, and not the dominant root only, as stated in previous works. The results are first presented analytically, and then verified by numerical experiments. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.