Lindsey Buckingham

The fact that Fleetwood Mac's 2003 offering Say You Will began life as a Lindsey Buckingham solo album is something of a shame. Mac albums may sell like Big Macs, but Buckingham's solo ventures are rare, weirdly wonderful birds. While Fleetwood Mac's Tusk more than hinted at the guitarist's closet experimental tendencies, Law & Orde is the first true glimpse of Buckingham unleashed, and the result is a meticulously crafted beautiful mess. The hit "Trouble" was irresistible bait; with a firm rhythmic assist from Mick Fleetwood on drums, Buckingham wraps an artfully strummed melody line around a seductive, breathless reverie. It's like listening to a long, sweet sigh. After that, Law & Order is an unruly, one-man-band grab-bag of McCartney-esque pop ("Shadow of the West"), doo-wop ("September Song"), and wickedly gleeful, oddball cheek ("That's How We Do It in L.A."). Remarkably, it never feels overly indulgent, as Buckingham matches every quirk with an equally inventive hook. The moodier Go Insane could use a little more of its predecessor's sense of organic fun, if only to counter that distinctly '80s synth-and-drum-machine chill and the slump that sets in after the strong opening triptych of "I Want You," "Go Insane," and "Slow Dancing." Out of the Cradle, by contrast, is Buckingham at his most sublime, almost to a fault. Buffed to a flawless, sparkling sheen, it's essentially an album of transcendent pop lullabies ("Don't Look Down," "You Do or You Don't") for the middle-aged, with a few snarling, paranoid nightmares ("Wrong") thrown in for good measure. How catchy is it? Suffice to say, had Mick Fleetwood and Co. snatched this baby from Buckingham's cradle, the '90s might have sounded a lot more like the late '70s. (MARK COLEMAN/RICHARD SKANSE) From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide