Lindsey Buckingham

Fleetwood Mac alum Lindsey Buckingham finally scored the critical reappraisal he so obviously longed for with his 2006 album Under the Skin, a stripped-down singer-songwriter disc that contained some of his best songs in a decade. Buckingham has walked with an extra pep in his step ever since, taking advantage of his renewed critical standing with a rush-released live album and a quick studio follow-up, 2008's Gift of Screws, which rocked a little harder than its tempered predecessor and reunited him with pals from his Fleetwood Mac days. His new Seeds We Sow was recorded alone in his home studio, and it sounds that way. It's sparser and more chilling than any record he's ever made.