Gift Of Screws

Lindsey Buckingham - Gift Of Screws

The differences between Lindsey Buckingham's latest solo album and his previous one are evident before you even get to listen to the music. The cover photo of 2006's Not Too Late featured the Fleetwood Mac singer/guitarist in sharp focus, standing in a sunny field, holding his beloved Turner Model 1 guitar. The cover of Gift Of Screws shows Buckingham looking tired and unshaven, and just to send the point home further, the photo is slightly out of focus. The liner photos are opposites as well. Not Too Late featured color photos of Buckingham and his family, and plenty of acoustic guitars. This time the photos are black and white, and show Lindsey playing a well worn Stratocaster. Even the two albums titles seem to point in opposing directions. The differences aren't just superficial. Gift Of Screws is definitely more of a rock album than it's predecessor. There are fewer acoustic based songs and more full band style arrangements, even though Buckingham plays all the instruments himself on half of the songs.

Ever since 1987's Tango In The Night, songs that Lindsey began as solo tracks have found their way onto Fleetwood Mac albums. Lately the opposite has been true as well. This time around Mick Fleetwood and John McVie appear on three tracks. "Wait For You" features a sinewy riff that recalls Mac's early blues days, while the title track features a raucous sound that befits the songs cynical lyrics. Buckingham's touring drummer Walfredo Reyes provides the beat for two of the album's other standout tracks,"Love Runs Deeper" and "Did You Miss Me." But the star throughout is Buckingham himself. His songwriting, his guitar playing, his gift for arrangements and his ear for hooks all highlighted here. Of his five solo albums, this is definitely my favorite.

Lindsey Buckingham - "Love Runs Deeper" (mp3)