CD Review: David Gilmour, On An Island

Gilmour's third solo album sees the Pink Floyd guitarist in mellow chill-out mode. It took me a while to really get into this one; at first, a lot of it sounded like the sort of material that I'd class as filler if it appeared on a Mostly Autumn disk. But Gilmour hasn't quite descended into Eric Clapton pipe-and-slippers mode yet, and repeated plays reveal a lot more depth. Nothing really catches fire, but the album does turn into something of a slow-burner.

In places there's a strong feel of "Meddle" thirty five years ago, and ultimately the only real clunker is the lumpen blues jam "This Heaven". Naturally there's plenty of Gilmour's signature guitar playing throughout, although anyone expecting a new 'Comfortably Numb' might have to look elsewhere. On the instrumental "Red Sky at Night", Gilmour demonstrates that he can play the saxophone as well as the guitar. He's managed to recruit an impressive list of guest appearances, including David Crosby and Graham Nash, Phil Manzenera, Richard Wright, Jools Holland, Georgie Fame, Robert Wyatt and Guy Pratt. Overall, while this isn't an 'instant' album, listen to it half a dozen times and it will start to get under your skin.