THE ORB FEAT. DAVID GILMOUR / Metallic Spheres [2010]

It seems odd at first but if you really think about a collaboration between spacey techno act The Orb and Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour makes perfect sense.
2010's Metallic Spheres showcases the two acts in a tripped-out soothing haze that recalls the days of Floyd's Meddle and The Orb's more significant era.  Gilmour doesn't really show off here, he simply compliments The Orb's roomy atmosphere with delicate precision that needn't be overanalyzed but rather begs the listener to relax and join them on their journey.   As it smoothly shifts from house music, dub and trip-hop, Spheres never really amazes but tranquilizes you as adequate background ambience.

3 3D60 albums out of 5

Songs Of Note:  There's only 2 lengthy tracks so it's best you seek it out if this collaboration interests you

DAVID GILMOUR / Live In Gdańsk [2008]

Widely recognized as one of the final full-length album releases featuring Pink Floyd members together (David Gilmour and keyboardsist Richard Wright), Gilmour's 2008 solo album Live In Gdańsk was recorded in Poland in support of On An Island in 2006 and the end of communist movement.
Supported by the Polish Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra, Gilmour runs through the entirety of On An Island and a generous handful of Floyd classics, including "Astronomy Domine" (from Piper At The Gates Of Dawn- which curiously he had nothing to do with).  As wonderful as the Floyd songs are to hear again, surprisingly it's the newer solo-Gilmour songs that seem to have the most inspiration, enthusiasm and love tossed into them (and that's loving the fact that "Echoes" from Floyd's 1971 Meddle is played in it's entirey with chilling perfection).

4 great days for freedom out of 5

Songs Of Note:  You're a Floyd fan if you've been following my Floyd posts....they're all good.

DAVID GILMOUR / On An Island [2006]

I eagerly bought David Gilmour's third solo album, 2006's On An Island the day it came out.  I gave it 2 spins and it's collected dust on my shelf ever since.
...until now.
Back then, I had the expectations of a moody trip into a gloomy English world filled with haunting imagery and instead I got a relaxed, "happy" sound that felt more at ease with the world.  With a few more years I found this album to not be as bad as I initially thought it was and in fact took comfort in having my ears and brain soothed into a tranquil state while I sat in my chair.  It's not as dramatic or abrasive as Gilmour's earlier works but it still has his signature guitar playing and raspy but smooth vocals.  Gilmour's here to put us to sleep in a good way without trying to make a pompous opinion or taking jabs at ex-band members.  I'll give it more listens in the near future when I'm tired of the rest of the world.

3 Crosby & Nashes out of 5

Songs Of  Note: This Heaven; Smile

DAVID GILMOUR / About Face [1984]

Shortly after Pink Floyd bassist/songwriter Roger Waters called it quits, guitarist David Gilmour went ahead with his second solo album, 1984's About Face.
Without having to soar as large as Floyd, Gilmour was given the chance to write for himself and focus on his pop-writing sensibilities a bit more.  It's unfortunate he felt he had to write big for Floyd later on because this album is some of the most honest and emotionally intimate writing he's done up to this very day.  Sure some of it outdates itself but it remains a fairly solid, friendly sounding record that will please fans who wanted to forget Floyd's later years.  Sure there's a few clunkers tossed in the middle but I think it's something one would come to expect from Gilmour as a musician.

3½ requiems for The Walrus out of 5

Songs Of Note: Murder; Near The End

DAVID GILMOUR / David Gilmour [1978]

After dealing with the nightmare that was Roger Waters & Pink Floyd's Animals, guitarist David Gilmour stepped away to release his first solo album in 1978.
The self-titled effort is a bluesy straight-up prog-rock album without all the sound effects & cold disant emotions of the Floyd of that time.  In fact it's more of a melancholy album, filled with notions of loneliness, exhaustion and questions of one's own worth.  He's never been the imaginative one in Floyd and that lack of sticks out like a sore thumb here.  There's nothing really too special on the table but Gilmour's ear for beauty and his soothing voice is what carries the whole record which is something Waters' solo efforts are missing.

3 Joker's Wild reunions out of 5

Songs Of Note: Cry From The Street;  Short And Sweet