Just got this and I have to say the first 2 tracks had me thinking "Oh great, another classic member of a classic band doing a solo album that may as well be him and his classic band!" In other words, same ole, same ole!
Not exactly so here. As I went further into the album I noticed that Dave, while maintaining a bit of a Floyd sound here and there, gets a bit more "earthy" sounding and emphasizes more on his guitar playing qualities. Dave has always had a reputation of producing some of the most tasteful guitar work. Nothing fast or furious, just good melodic licks. And here he does it to perfection.
As stated earlier, the first 2 tracks Castellorizon and the title track may as well as come off of any latter PF album. But the 3rd track The Blue gives a real showcase of his pedal steel work like you've never heard before. Take A Breath is about the most rocker of tracks here. Down and dirty. Then we go back to Floyd mode on Red Sky At Night with some aural sax work ala Us And Them. Then we go straight into earthy blues with This Heaven with a wisely guest appearance of Rick Wright on the Hammond (the only other Floyder to appear thankfully). Then I Close My Eyes is IMO the standout track of them all. Dave just pulls out all the stops on this one. Banjo, acoustic guitar, slide guitar and even some good old fashion Beatles inspired backward guitar recording with a sweet horn solo added in. Smile is a simple ballad with a little country flavor that Dave has always had a knack for but rarely expresses it. A Pocketful Of Stones is probably the weakest track on the album. It's like Floyd meets Frank Sinatra, try and figure that one out! The closing cut, Where We Start puts us back into full Floyd mode again but Dave just keeps those tastful guitar solos rolling.
In closing, while once a Floyder always a Floyder, Dave was wise to put his guitar talents in the forefront on this project and not just simply use this album as an excuse to show everybody "This is what Floyd would've done if we were still together." No, not at all here. Good one Dave, keep 'em coming!
Four smiles:
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Topic: Dave Gilmour - On An Island (Read 707 times)