LUCK AND STRANGE

David Gilmour, of course, is best known for being the lead guitarist, and one of the main lead vocalists in the legendary band, Pink Floyd. He joined Pink Floyd in 1968, when founder Syd Barrett's mental health was in decline. A longtime friend of Barrett, he was initially brought into the band to back up Barrett's guitar parts as a fifth member. However, before long he effectively replaced Barrett when Syd became too unstable to continue as a member of the band. Gilmour's first appearance on a Pink Floyd album was 1968's "A Saucerful of Secrets," the band's second album. As his tenure with the band progressed, Gilmore assumed the role of co-lead singer (along with Roger Waters). He resurrected the band? initially with drummer Nick Mason and later keyboardist Richard Wright? in the mid-80s when Waters tried to end. Gilmour would remain with Pink Floyd through to the effective end of the band in 2008 when Richard Wright passed on (with the exception of an album of polished outtakes from the Division Bell, and a single featuring Gilmour, Mason, Guy Pratt and a Ukrainian singer from a couple of years ago to support Ukraine after Russia invaded.) Gilmour began releasing solo albums while in Pink Floyd, beginning in 1978. Luck and Strange is his fifth studio solo album. He is currently 78 years old.

Let's dig in?.

First, here are the album credits, copied from Wikipedia:

David Gilmour ? guitar (all), piano (1), lead vocals (2?4, 7?9), ukulele (3), Höfner bass (3, 8), Farfisa organ (3), backing vocals (2-4, 6?8), keyboards (6, 9), Hammond organ (7), bass guitar (9), Leslie piano (9)

Richard Wright ? electric piano, Hammond organ (2)

Romany Gilmour ? lead vocals (6), backing vocals (2?4, 6?8), harp (5-6)

Gabriel Gilmour ? backing vocals (3, 4)

Rob Gentry ? synthesiser (1?4, 6, 9), keyboards (3, 6, 8-9), piano (4, 6, 8-9), organ (7)

Roger Eno ? piano (1, 9)

Guy Pratt ? bass guitar (2, 3, 6?9)

Adam Betts ? percussion (2, 4, 6?9), djembe (3), drums (4)

Steve DiStanislao ? drums (2)

Steve Gadd ? drums, percussion (3, 6?9)

Tom Herbert ? bass guitar (4)

Edmund Aldhous ? organist and director of music at Ely Cathedral

Ely Cathedral Choir ? vocals

Angel Studios Choir - vocals

Angel Studios Orchestra

All music is composed by David Gilmour and Lyrics by his wife, novelist, Polly Samson, except where noted in the song reviews.

Track 1 - Black Cat

This short instrumental opener fades in slowly with synth sounds, with some piano notes first on top and the first appearance of Gilmour's guitar at 27 seconds. The tune has a slow tempo and more synth sounds fade in as Gilmour's solo continues. The piece fades out during the last 10 seconds.

Track 2 - Luck and Strange.

This song uses a recording of a jam session with Gilmour and Richard Wright in 2007 before Wright's 2008 passing as its foundation. Gilmour kicks it off with an arpeggio on his guitar and he continues with Wright's organ joining in. Gilmour's riff has harmonics as its basis. Eventually, a blues shuffle is established, with bass & drums kicking in. The overall effect reminds me of Fleetwood Mac's "Hypnotized." Gilmour gives the spotlight to the late Wright before he begins singing at 46 seconds. His vocals still sound fantastic! This song has a great bluesy vibe. Backing vocals, including his daughter Romany, kick in around 1:15 to signal the chorus. A second verse follows at 1:42, with some tasty guitar fills, followed by another chorus. A bridge takes over at 2:40ish, with Gilmour going into falsetto for the high notes. There are some electric piano fills, presumably from Wright before the 3rd verse begins. The Gilmour guitar fills keep getting better & better as the next chorus progresses. A drum build-up leads us to a second bridge. Now for the moment I've been waiting for (and you probably have been too), Gilmour's solo begins at 5 minutes. Great blues licks abound with Wright's organ peeking through. A fine solo indeed! I truly enjoyed that song. It grabbed me right away! (Note, on the version I have from Apple Music, there is a version of this that contains the full 14 minute jam session that the song was based on.)

Track 3 - The Piper's Call

This is the only cut I have previously heard from the album, and only once back in April. I recall liking it, but it just hasn't come back up until now. I haven't heard either of the other pre-release songs. This one begins with acoustic strumming, bass & percussion. He plays some acoustic lead lines over the top before the vocals begin at 25 seconds. Backing vocals join at 1:00. The percussion parts make a nice easy-going beat. I believe there is a marimba or xylophone in the mix. The song opens up more at around 1:35, with standard drums kicking in. It eases off again following that chorus, but not as much as the first verse. Another big chorus follows. Both Romany and Gilmour's son Gabriel Gilmour provide backing vocals on this one. Starting around 3:40, the rhythm guitar parts remind me a bit of what he played on "Young Lust" from "The Wall" Gilmour solos on top of that groove. The solo is awesome, of course. The band builds in intensity to the end, with some nice organ swells in the mix. Strong track!

Track 4 - A Single Spark

A modern sound with an old school feel. The beat reminds me of "Be My Baby" from the Ronettes from back in the early 60s, but the sounds creating that beat are more difficult to identify. Synths and electronic percussion, I'll say. Gilmour sings a classic melody with modern effects on his voice. At around 55 seconds, the beat stops and angelic sounding voices take over, with what sounds like the bell used on "High Hopes," (From "The Division Bell") is rung. The beat comes back in, with string-like lines joining. There are also actual drums but with a dark tone?perhaps played with soft mallets instead of sticks. At 1:20, the voices return to back him up while the beat continues. This song sounds like it should be on the soundtrack of a Neo-Film-Noir movie. The beat pauses again, then there are some tom-tom fills. Another verse begins, following that. The dynamic level increases around 2:20. Another short verse follows. Then the beat pauses again around 3:10, but then the guitar takes over. The beat feels half time compared to the verses. This one might take a few listens to wrap my head around. I do appreciate the extended guitar solo that lasts until around 5:30. Following the solo, there are various sound effects that fade out to close- out the song. Interesting track, but not sure about it yes, excepting the guitar solo.

Track 5 - Vita Brevis

This is a very short, 46 second long instrumental. It seems that daughter Romany is playing harp here, while dad plays slide guitar, string synth sounds accompany.

Track 6 - Between Two Points.

This is the only track with outside writers, with lyrics by Roger Quigley and music by Mark Tranmer, and no, I don't know who either of those people are. Also, Romany sings lead on this one. (Is dad setting her up for her own musical career? Time will tell.) Ahh, Romany also plays harp on this one. It is in a more rhythmic fashion this time, as the song starts with her harp line, dad strumming a distant acoustic, and keyboard. It is a very suspenseful intro. Romany begins singing at around 25 seconds. She has a nice round tone to her voice and nice phrasing. I can only detect a hint of her British accent. Subtle drums come in as we go along. The song has a very warm tone. So far, dad's involvement on the sound of this one has been minimal. However, as I was typing the last sentence, he begins playing a solo at around 3:45. He has a fat tone here, and it is unmistakably David Gilmour. The song has a sort of well-crafted pop vibe, but the solo is very tasty and wraps-up the song nicely. Upon further investigation, this song is a cover, which is elaborated upon in this passage from Wikipedia:

The album features a cover of the 1999 song "Between Two Points", originally by the British band the Montgolfier Brothers.[12] Gilmour said he had been a fan of the song since its release and was surprised that it had not been a hit.[12] His daughter, Romany, performed harp and vocals.[7] Mark Tranmer of the Montgolfier Brothers said he enjoyed Gilmour's version, saying "it diverges from the original but keeps the spirit".[12]

Track 7 - Dark and Velvet Nights

Gilmour (David, to be clear as there are family members all over this?) starts with some controlled guitar feedback and after a 4-count click of drumsticks, he and the band kick in heavy at 10 seconds. They play an intro riff twice on a descending melody. There is a fat Hammond-sounding organ in the mix! Then, we get a head-bopping, greasy, Memphis-soul beat that grabbed me immediately! The tempo is moderate, but grooves like there is no tomorrow, while Gilmour sings and plays signature slide-guitar fills. There is a half-time bridge around 2:05. The organ drops out, replaced by fat string sounds. The groove returns at around 2:55. The solo kicks in at around 3:45 and has string flourishes that are almost call and response at some points. My only complaint with this one is that it stopped too soon. Gilmour could've soloed a lot more for me. It ended on the V7 chord then went back to feedback with no resolution to the tonic note. For the "non-music-theory-knowin'" folks out there, it kinda left us hanging. Otherwise I loved it! Maybe live versions will be extended.

Track 8 - Sings

There is a high-pitched note that glisses upward before Gilmour starts singing. He is accompanied by bass, keyboards and subtle drumming. This one is at a slow tempo. There is an instrument playing a countermelody in the second versethat sounds like a Japanese koto or something similar to me, but I see nothing like that listed in the credits. The beat gets steadier at 1:35 with a rhythmic electric-piano sound in the background that is a nice touch. Another verse follows. The beat picks up again on the next section. The beat drops out at 3:25 and there are sound effects mixed with various instrumental sounds. The beat returns at 4:07 and there is a mellow organ solo. There is a fretless bass featured as the song fades out. I am disappointed at the lack of a solo on this one. It has some nice moments, but not my favorite on the album.

Track 9 - Scattered

David, and another son, Charlie Gilmour contributed to the lyrics along with Polly Samson. It fades in with synth and subtle bass drum before Gilmour begins singing. At least in the first few seconds this one has the most PF-style vibes. There is even a sound that reminds me of the "ping" in Echoes from Meddle in 1971. The rhythm starts to build more as the song continues. YES! Those Floydian vibes continue. A descending string-section line leads to a big chord at around 2:40 and the beat stops. There is classical style piano accented by the drums. Dramatic strings continue behind. Slide-guitar enters around 3:10. The next verse resumes around 3:30, but with a rhythmic guitar part playing a countermelody. A nice organ part slips in right around the 4 minute mark, the acoustic guitar notes take the spotlight for a solo. Electric guitar takes over a minute later and it's glorious! Shades of the outro solo from "Comfortably Numb," here and it kicks into higher gear at 5:45! Gilmour's definitely still got it! At around 6:30, with a minute remaining in the song, the solo ends for a quiet closing verse. He certainly saved the best for last here! (discounting the two bonus tracks?one is mentioned above, and the other is a duet with Romany released in 2020 as a single called "Yes, I Have Ghosts.").

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

A wonderful album from Mr. Gilmour and company. Some tracks are better than others, but none are bad. Thracks 2, 3, 7, and 9 are my favorites. There is still a lot of talent and creativity in him. "Scattered" really channeled the PF Vibes. And how about that band? We have (among others) post-Waters PF Bass stalwart Guy Pratt and the legendary Steve Gadd on drums! I mean seriously, what a rhythm section! My least favorite tune was track 8, "Sings," and the jury is still out on #4, "A Single Spark." Track 1 is a nice intro. I think I'll give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Clicked 4, but really 4.5!