Pink Floyd's records have never shied away from psychological themes,
as anyone who sat through their 1979 alienation opus The Wall can
attest. But the latest solo album from the band's keyboardist, Rick
Wright, is a portrait of despair and recovery that few rock musicians
have ever attempted. Wright's Broken China (Guardian) is a
surprisingly frank account of his wife Millie's battle with clinical
depression, a struggle that involved intenive psychotherapy and a
long hospital stay before its eventual happy ending.
While recording an entire album about such a grim topic may seem like
comercial suicide-- a Floydian slip, perhaps-- Wright did take steps
to ensure the results would be interesting. Millie's former therapist
cowrote some of the lyrics, and controversial Irish songstress Sinead
O'Connor sings on two tracks.