David Gilmour - on an Island

There are a few things in this life I never thought I'd see: one of them is the regrouping of the original band Pink Floyd (minus Syd Barrett - but that's another story entirely) at the Live 8 concert in England. Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright and Nick Mason were responsible for some of the best elements to the soundtrack of the 1970's. With such classic albums as "The Wall," "Wish You Were Here," and the groundbreaking "Dark Side Of The Moon," (which stayed on Billboard's Top 100 chart longer than any other release in history) it was quite a sight to witness and hear. The entire set can be seen on the LIVE 8 DVD set. So, when I received the new Gilmour solo CD I was quite the happy camper. Admittedly "On An Island," is not what I expected. After all, the guitar GOD who co-wrote some of Floyd's most brilliant songs, "Money," Comfortably Numb," and "Run Like Hell,", how could I go wrong.

The new material on this disc does not live up to his stellar reputation. Some of his previous solo efforts are far more interesting and worthwhile. "On An Island," is the perfect title for this bunch of songs. They are mellow beyond mellow, which for Gilmour is a first. For me they appear to be too cerebral. I was waiting for something to strike out at me and upon first listen, sadly nothing did. Just to make sure I didn't miss anything, I listened again. Not even a blip. The tune "Take A Breath," has promise but soon falls flat much like the rest of the CD. If you were on an island, I really don't think this would be the CD to take along. Don't get me wrong, Gilmour is my all time favorite rock guitar player. He has an incredible style that it unmistakable but there is no glimmer of that here. Sure, he's got some killer guitar riffs but they seem out of place on a CD that sounds more like New Age music (and I really do like New Age) than a rock release. It was literally putting me to sleep. There is a positive note though: if you want something that is really mellow then maybe this is the CD for you. You be the judge for yourself. For my taste, I'll break out my copy of Gilmour's "About Face," solo CD. Hopefully for his next solo project he'll wake out of his coma and play some good old fashioned rock again.