David Gilmour - Luck And Strange (2024) CD-Rip

Luck and Strange is David Gilmour's fifth solo record and only his third of the 21st century. The Pink Floyd guitarist clearly understands his life's privilege; he has made some of rock's most memorable music, toured its biggest stages, and been named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He could easily coast along for the duration of his career. Instead, he has continued to tour, collaborated widely, advocated for numerous just causes, and donated the money from selling his home and guitars to charity. If he wants to make just one album per decade, he's earned the right. Appearing nine years after 2015's Rattle That Lock, Luck and Strange brings together a supporting cast that's both fresh and familiar, and also familial. To produce, he sought a more contemporary presence, Charlie Andrew (Alt-J), to augment veteran players like Guy Pratt (bass) and Steve Gadd (drums). Additionally, his daughter, singer and harpist Romany Gilmour, plays a significant role here and even takes the lead on standout "Between Two Points," a cover of the Montgolfier Brothers' 1999 dream pop song. As on all his records since the '90s, Gilmour's wife, Polly Samson, serves as lyricist and direct collaborator. The overriding tone of Luck and Strange is ruminative, though not overly melancholic, with richly imagined songs that explore uncertain futures ("A Single Spark"), nostalgia ("Sings"), marriage ("Dark and Velvet Nights"), and a generation's halcyon days (the title cut, which is built around a pre-existing 2007 jam with late Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright). The arrangements, which frequently include orchestral and choral elements, feel fresher and nimbler than on his previous set, balancing out some of the album's introspection. And the youthful presence of Romany's (as well as his son Gabriel's) vocals is a boon, lending to the largely collaborative feel. Still, it's undeniably a Gilmour album, woven through with the elegant, lyrical guitar playing and haunted vocals that are his signature.