Short Take: A no-brainer for the Gilmour fan. Others may wish to sample the music, but the mix is not an obstacle.
I must admit that this was not love at first hear. More of a grower, as another member put it.
I saw David five times on his US mini-tour last year, and that greatly helped my appreciation for the tracks. I still do not love them all, but my favorites (for those who are looking for an entrance to the work) are:
5 A.M.
Faces Of Stone
A Boat Lies Waiting
Beauty
The Girl In The Yellow Dress
The Girl In The Yellow Dress merits special attention since it is such a huge departure from the Gilmour style. The closest relative from the Floyd catalog would be San Tropez, but even that is not quite as straight-ahead jazz as this piece. And I love it! I am a jazz fan in general, so to hear one of my favorite rock musicians have a bash at this style is delightful. I like it when artists break out of their molds, and this certainly qualifies.
My second favorite is A Boat Lies Waiting which has gorgeous harmonies.
The tracks I do not prefer are In Any Tongue and Today. It was the same with On An Island where for some reason his more rocking numbers just do not float my boat. No matter - there is enough on each album to please me.
This is classic Gilmour - languid, melancholy, melodic, tasteful. Some people just do not like his style, and that is fine.
I cannot find fault in the sonics or the mix. It is not a perfect 10 for me because I will not reach for it often, but for the right mood it is perfect. I am grateful that Gilmour continues to produce beautiful music into his 70s, and I am lucky to have been able to see him perform over the years. I hope he keeps making music and playing live. He is one of my favorite musicians.
I give this a 9.