LUCK AND STRANGE

Nine years have passed since 'Rattle That Lock' for David Gilmour to surprisingly decide to come back with 'Luck and Strange' (2024), the fifth album (without considering his collaborations with the electronic band The Orb) of a discography with very few chapters for the more than 45 years of his solo adventure parallel to his responsibilities as Pink Floyd's guitarist. An intimate work, devoid of excessive flourishes and with a somewhat sombre look, which finds Gilmour serene and very much in tune in the conception of the album with his inseparable wife Polly Samson, lyricist and novelist.

Already the opening piano and keyboard chords of Roger Eno and Rob Gentry on the short instrumental "Black Cat" mark the warm and calm temperament of the album, as with the bluesy "Luck and Strange", material rescued and rearranged from jam sessions shared with Richard Wright at the helm of the hammond and electric piano, and whose very interesting extended version forms part of the album as a bonus track, or with the angelic beauty of the folkloric "A Single Spark", or with the acoustic cover "Between Two Points" by the indies 'The Montgolfier Brothers' and the surprisingly solvent and delicate voice of Romany, the musician's daughter, a gem of the album.

The final section of "Luck and Strange" maintains this reflective character, and is occupied by the couple's musings on the inexorability of mortality and doubts about how to deal with it, both in the anguished "Dark and Velvet Nights" and its lilting melody, and in the melancholic ballad "Sings", which moves unhurriedly, embellished by Gilmour's serene voice, and concludes with the growing intensity of "Scattered" and the wink to the unmistakable keyboard of "Echoes", crowned by a penetrating and dense guitar solo with a Floydian stamp.

Just when it seemed unlikely that Gilmour would ever release new material again, he delivers what is perhaps the most established and musically richest work of his career.

Very Good.

3.5/4 stars

I have mixed impressions from the first listens of this album. Yes, I like it. I can listen to the whole even 3-4 times in a row, but this is Mr Gilmour and I'm used to have a lot of expectations. Compared to Rattle and Lock, I'm happy that he has avoided the use of disco remixes of the main tracks as fillers. The original Barn Jam from which Luck and Strange has been derived is really better than a DJ manipulation.

The goods: as everybody can expect, there are the high-standard guitar solos, in particular the electric part of Scattered. Romany has a fantastic voice, and Between Two Points in my opinion is the best track of the whole album. This is also a weakness: when the best track of an album made of originals is the only one cover, maybe something didn't work perfectly with the songwriting. On the other hand, also There's No Way Out Of Here is a cover and the best song of David's debut album, so let's forget the cover thing.

David's voice is still good but of course is not the same as when he sung Blue Light. And this is another point: there's too few rock. I love his guitar driven blues ballads, the album is grown rapidly on me, but an occasional listener could find it a little boring. Of course, now we are speaking of an old family man at what will likely be his retirement tour, but who was capable of Run Like Hell and Blue Light, could have added some heavier "interrupts" in the middle of the album.

Anyway, if an album like this was released by any other artist I would likely have call it "a masterpiece", but I can't do it on this one basing of my long time Floyd fan expectations.

Does it deserve to be listened? Yes Is it better than Rattle and Lock? I think yes Is it a masterpiece? No

Are there bad tracks? Absolutely not

I would have given more space to Romany. She's not a surprise, as we have heard her previously on Yes, I have Ghosts. I sincerely hope to see a future album by Romany Gilmour featuring Dave on guitars. A little mention for Polly Samson: I think she's a great lyricist.

Now the stars rating: I'm between 3 and 4. I go with 4 as "prize" for the career.

Putting The Orb to one side (with whom he has recorded two albums), it can never be said that Gilmour has exactly been prolific away from Waters (however much he would hate to admit it). Together they recorded 11 albums in 15 years (plus Gilmour's debut), and then in the following 40 years Gilmour released 3 with Pink Floyd and 3 other solo releases prior to this one, the last being 9 years ago. I am not sure who was expecting another solo album now Gilmour is in his late seventies, but it certainly was not me. Also unexpected was the realisation that Richard Wright performs on the title track, and given he died back in 2008 it shows how long Gilmour has been sat on that material.

I have been a fan of Floyd for more than 40 years, even buying 'Animals' on 8-track when it was released, and remember the joy of first getting a CD player and playing 'Wish You Were Here' on repeat all day in my flat. But when one comes to release from an icon how can one remove the subjectivity and memories from the objectivity and come up with words to accurately describe what one is listening to? I decided to stay clear of all other reviews and give myself the opportunity to play this album multiple times before starting to collect my thoughts, and I am glad I did just that as there is no doubt that this is one of his best albums in many years, and while not infallible there is a lot going for it.

His vocals and guitar still have all the presence and dynamics one would expect, and he is one of the few guitarists in the world where one could listen to just a few bars and immediately know who is playing, such is his individual style. His vocals still have that soft and welcoming gravelly drawl which seems not to have aged over the years, with just a little quavering on the long-held notes. As well as being a really enjoyable album, this is very much a family affair. Gilmour's wife, writer Polly Samson, wrote the majority of the lyrics, which she said reflected themes of mortality and ageing and adapted the lyrics for "Dark and Velvet Nights" from a poem she composed for their wedding anniversary. Their son Gabriel contributed backing vocals on a few tracks, another son, Charlie, contributed some lyrics of "Scattered while their daughter Romany provides lead vocals on "Between Two Points", harp on a couple of songs and backing vocals on some more. Actually, Romany is a delight and I hope her career builds on this as I would love to hear a lot more from her (check out the video on YouTube of her father joining her at a pub gig for a version of "Wish You Were Here").

The last track on the album is the original jam for the title cut recorded in 2007, from which Gilmour then developed the final version. It is interesting to hear the origins, but I doubt if any apart from the diehards will play it more than once, but in terms of completeness it is nice to have it available. This is an album I enjoyed much more than I thought I would, and I am sure those lucky enough to see Gilmour on his world (which of course currently is just Europe and the States) tour will find this material sits well alongside his catalogue.