David Gilmour : Luck and Strange

David Gilmour is known as much for his crystalline guitar tone and soulful vocals as he is for being the guy that replaced Syd Barrett in Pink Floyd back in the 60s. Of course his main gig over the last 50+ years is hard to overshadow, but Gilmour brought a grounded, bluesy component to Pink Floyd’s heady psychedelic undertones. That opened the door to a whole other swath of music fan that would have otherwise passed on Floyd’s theatrical prog tendencies.

In-between post-Waters Floyd albums -as well as legal battles with Waters himself – David Gilmour has released a series of solo albums since his 1978 debut, David Gilmour. On his fifth solo LP and his first in 9 years titled Luck and Strange, David Gilmour proves he’s still got the chops(writing, playing, and singing). A soulful, bluesy, and sometimes mystical album, Luck and Strange is an engaging, thoughtful LP. And at 78-years old, Gilmour proves age is merely a concept.

Luck and Strange is truly a family affair. Lyrics mostly written by Gilmour’s wife Polly Samson, while son Gabriel and daughter Romany contribute musically as well. Title track “Luck and Strange” features late Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright as well. It was a song the two started back in 2007 in Gilmour’s barn, a mere year before Wright passed away.

“Black Cat” opens the album in a contemplative mood. Piano notes waver in the air with Gilmour’s always soulful guitar playing. At 78 guitarist still sounds stunning in every way, and “Black Cat” leads into the blue-heavy title track. Wright’s keys are prominently displayed in the mix, giving it all a Momentary Lapse of Reason feel. While many of Gilmour’s contemporaries sound like they’re struggling to re-live their glory days, Gilmour eases back in as if no time has passed.

Over the course of 9 songs, tracks like “The Piper’s Call”, “Single Spark”, and “Between Two Points” Gilmour, producer Andrew Charlie, and his assembled band make a gorgeous, melancholy album that’s a meditation on time, age, and looking back on a life. “Between Two Points” especially hits in a poignant way with Gilmour’s daughter Romany taking vocal duties. It’s a truly stunning track.

David Gilmour’s Luck and Strange is a late-career triumph. Floyd fans will dig it, but it’s far more than a Floyd-adjacent project. It stands on its own two legs with ease.