David Gilmour/ Luck And Strange

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

David Gilmour/ Luck And Strange

Genre: Rock

Label: David Gilmour Music/ Sony Music 

Rating; ****

You can recognise a David Gilmour song from a thousand miles. It's like a signature that can never be forged. Three notes into the guitarwork of his opening 90-second instrumental piece 'Black Cat', and you in Pink Floyd nostalgia mode once more.

The guitar god has just released his fifth solo album Luck And Strange. The title track is second on the list, and he sings, "In the light before the dawn, Shadows shake in my peripheral, Mesmerise me, bring it on, Heart beats with fear here in the theatre of my soul". You can sense the aging in his voice. The added roughness. He's 78. But that emotion is intact. And that style.. drool! And yes, he's used parts played by former Floyd bandmate Richard Wright on this number. 

The words aren't his this time. His wife Polly Samson has penned most songs, tackling subjects like aging, loneliness, mortality or memories. Their son Charlie has chipped in on 'Scattered'. And there's one cover, of the Montgolfer Brothers cult song 'Between Two Points'. It's the album’s go-to number, sung by the Gilmour daughter Romany, who also plays harp. Amazing voice. Reminds you of Dido with a less pronounced accent. She's just 22. Bright future  And those lines, written by Mark Tranmer and Roger Quigley, "Broke an early promise, put trust in an unknown; Fell headlong into the arms, of the first that stirred me".

The song ends with a classic guitar solo. Quintessential Gilmour. Leaves you comfortably numb. And it isn't the only one. Check the solo on 'Scattered'. Or that three-minute coda on 'A Single Spark'. Or 'The Piper's Call', which moves from folksy acoustic to sizzling electric energy. "The road to hell is paved with gold, they tell you, all the things that you don't need, they sell you", he sings. Another stand-out track.

There's more energy on 'Dark And Velvet Nights', which is reminiscent of Floyd's 'Learning To Fly'. A total contrast to 'Sings', where Gilmour sings, "Darling, turn back the clock, give me time, make it stop, let's hold back the news, stay inside this cocoon".

Cut to the musicians. Gilmour plays a few other instruments, including piano, keyboards and ukulele. He also produces the album along with Charlie Andrew, known for his work with Alt-J. Bassist Guy Pratt and drummer Steve Gadd have contributions.

On the streaming platforms, there are two bonus tracks. The 2020 single 'Yes, I Have Ghosts' has Romany Gilmour on backing vocals. Finally there's a 'Original Barn Jam' instrumental version of the title track, recorded in 2007 using Richard Wright's keys. At 13 minutes, it sort of goes on. But it's fun, though a complete detour.

Luck And Strange is probably Gilmour's best solo album, but that's just an opinion. It comes closest to vintage Waters-era Floyd, but that may be another opinion. Yet, it's a marvellous piece of work. One for thd vinyl collection. But he's David Gilmour. Wot's uh.. the deal?