CD Review

By Sam Gnerre

>rock

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM

“GIFT OF SCREWS” REPRISE 1/2

Genius may be too strong a word for former Fleetwood Mac visionary Lindsey Buckingham. Let’s just say he hears sounds and patterns in his head that not everyone does. He begins “Gift of Screws,” only his fifth solo album since 1981, by immediately indulging in this penchant for unusual rhythmic sequences. No matter how disparate any given song’s parts might seem – in this case, the piercing guitar rips, choppy percussion and echo-heavy vocals on the opening “Great Day” – Buckingham never fails to draw them together into coherent and memorable wholes. “Time Precious Time” has what sounds like five or six speedily plucked and hammered acoustic guitars, and very little else, to carry it. One listens and waits for it all to fall apart, only to find that its strange beauty increases as the track progresses. More conventional songs follow. “The Right Place to Fade” hews closest to the Fleetwood Mac party line, in a good way: Infectious melody, lively vocals and rippling guitars are driven by Mac founder Mick Fleetwood’s trademark drumming. “Love Runs Deeper” couches its stomping chorus in a wall of acoustic guitars and layered vocals before concluding with a brilliant, soaring guitar solo. “Treason” caps the album with a stately beauty that’s almost startling, its dreamlike chorus lingering well after the song ends. It may take repeated listens to hear just how well “Gift of Screws” fits together, but it’s well worth the effort.

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