THE CD: It is "On An Island", the latest from David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. I had to give this one a couple of plays as my first impression was Gilmour has gone the way of Rod Stewart with the easier listening stuff. After all, these guys are all over sixty now (Gilmour released "On An Island" the day after birthday number 60 on March 6) and I suppose we are finally finding out what happens to all our 1960's and ‘70's favorites when they reach that milestone (except for the always ageless Rolling Stones!).
As I was ready to dismiss "On An Island" as Pink Floyd lite, cut number four, "Take A Breath" came on and suddenly I was back with "The Wall" and "Animals" and heaven. Then I was ushered into "Red Sky At Night" and suddenly I was on and island viewing dusk and sipping a Corona. Gilmour is so influential with his sax playing on this cut (that’s right, sax) that the imagery is almost eerie. Consensus: It may take a couple of plays for Floyd fans to appreciate this one, but that should do the job. From the short intro into the title track through the final of ten cuts, "Where We Start", this is David Gilmour at his finest. "On An Island" could be called the ultimate "date record". It’s been twenty years since Gilmour’s last solo effort but it was worth the wait.