ON AN ISLAND

I had high expectations for this, which it did and didn't live up to. It's a mellow album, which is good, because mellow is Gilmour's strong suit. The only attempt at a mid-tempo rocker, Take a Breath, is unconvincing, but the rest of the tracks are lovely singer-songwritery tunes puncutated with Gilmour's wonderful, slow-paced, emotive soloing. There's no need to point out individual tracks, since they're all pretty well in the same vein. The instrumentals are atmospheric and also very nice to listen to. The special guests, Wyatt, Cole, Manzanera, Crosby and Nash are not really evident, being more bit players, but their contributions are pleasant as well. This is not a monumental release or an exciting one, but a mature album from an old hand confident enough to know his strengths and to stick with them. It's easily Gilmour's strongest release, better than both A Momentary Lapse, which tried to stick too close to the established Floyd formula, and The Division Bell, which was similar to this album, but not as strong (the phenomenal High Hopes excepted). Good for mellowing out to, and essential for fans of Gilmour's guitar playing.