ROCK

The gift is his

By Linda Laban

Globe Correspondent / September 16, 2008

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Lindsey Buckingham

Gift of Screws (Reprise)

ESSENTIAL "Great Day"

Beginning with Buckingham Nicks in 1973 and most famously with Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham has made music professionally for 35 years. Yet "Gift of Screws" is only his fifth solo record. Perhaps that's why the singer and guitarist (who turns 60 next month) still sounds so vital and passionate, especially on the voluptuous, opening songs "Great Day" and "Time Precious Time," where his luminescent riffs and nimble finger-picking shine. (Conversely, the final songs, "Underground" and "Treason," are throwaway and perfectly placed for the stop-button.) Mostly, though, Buckingham doesn't stray far from his comfort zone of soft-rock (the engaging "Did You Miss Me"), blues rock (the infectious "Wait For You" with it's gloriously determined chorus), and arena-rock boogie ("Love Runs Deeper," a delirious, catchy stomp with Buckingham's straight-ahead guitar solo in just the place you'd expect to find it: the middle). That's the stuff that Fleetwood Mac's stellar "Rumours" and "Tusk" were made of, but, apart from the odd drum and bass part - notably, Mac's Mick Fleetwood and John McVie perform on a few tracks - the Buckingham single-handedly turns these screws.

Lindsey Buckingham performs at Berklee Performance Center on Oct 17.