ALBUM REVIEW : *** LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM “Out of the Cradle” <i> Reprise</i>

In one sense, it’s hard to know just what the third solo album from Fleetwood Mac’s erstwhile all-purpose player--his first in eight years--is all about. Buckingham’s sparse, spare lyrics rarely address anything concrete; there’s lots of talk of dreams and fires and sunsets and souls.

But on a more visceral level, it’s impossible to miss the meaning of “Out of the Cradle”: the primacy of the guitar as an expressive instrument. The artist makes his case convincingly, with gossamer, glistening textures framed by complex yet accessible arrangements. The ascendancy of the instrument is so complete that the others, almost all of which were also played by Buckingham, come off sounding muffled, as if they were recorded under a sheet.

Buckingham’s breathy vocals almost seem superfluous; some of the album’s finest moments are its many instrumental bits. Still, it’s hard not to be swayed by the singer’s practically palpable optimism in the bouncy “Countdown.” And the vitriol in “Wrong,” about the business of being a rock star, comes through best in the vocals. If there was ever any doubt, Buckingham has proved that you can go your own way from a supergroup and live to sing about it.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four (excellent).