Search - David Gilmour :: On an Island

Please shut it and let your guitar speak, Mr. Gilmour

Random Dude | Seattle | 06/10/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Let's 'about' face it, David Gilmour's strong suit as a musician and composer is wholly around his neck. Few axemen in Rock have the rich, bluesy, and exquisite tone of Gilmour. And unlike so many, he also knows when *not* to play notes in a given song; this sort of musical self-awareness in Rock is very rare in my humble opinion.



Unfortunately, lyrics have never been Gilmour's strong suit---and his wife Polly simply isn't a great lyricist either. At best the lyrics here are pusillanimously pleasant if forgettable, at worst they are simply bad poetry---trite and occasionally cringe worthy.



My suggestion to Mr. Gilmour is that he return to his roots a bit (give a listen to the opening bars of Wish You Were Here again, for example) and for his next effort, lay down a completely stripped-down instrumental blues-based prog-rock fusion album. It's through the Strat that he best expresses himself. Gilmour could evoke killer tone from playing "She'll Be Comin' 'Round The Mountain" on a Mickey Mouse guitar, for god's sake---his playing is so soulful and rarefied that lyrics usually just get in the way.



Plug in, toss the lyrics sheet, and let your guitar speak for you, Mr. Gilmour."

Best work from Gilmour in a while

Curtis Harned | Festus, MO | 02/08/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First off, I am a big Pink Floyd fan. While this is not a new floyd album, it definitely has the soul of floyd in there. This album has some of the most soulful and emotional music Gilmour has to offer. At first I thought it was good, but after a couple of listens it becomes absolutely great. Gilmour is one of the greatest song writers and guitar players that has graced the genre of classic rock."