Out of the Cradle
Out of the Cradleis the kind of adult rock record that gets lost in a marketplace that caters only to a younger audience. Buckingham developed his songwriting and production skills as the most-valuable-player in Fleetwood Mac, but as a solo artist he's proven to be a bit too arty for the mass audience he'd won as a member of Mac.Out of the Cradleis a sumptuously recorded labor of love that's as thick with guitars as it is with intricate vocal harmonies. "Surrender the Rain," billowing with voices, suggests an arty take on the Beach Boys, while "Soul Drifter" rocks to a seductive beat that's swaddled with guitars. The entire album is a treat for guitar freaks, as Buckingham includes instrumental interludes and lavishes as much attention on the sound of his guitars as most producers spend on the entire band. Buckingham interrupted work on his followup to this album for the recent Fleetwood Mac reunion. After all, a man's got to eat.--John Milward