When Pink Turns to Blue

Pink Floyd's records have never shied away from psychological themes, as anyone who's 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 intensive psychotherapy and a long hospital stay before its eventual happy ending.

While recording an entire album about such a grim topic may seem like commercial 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.

Edited by Peter Doskoch