Robert Plant has just taken another step into the raising sand —
over the hills and far and away from the shadow of Led Zeppelin. A
true purveyor of musical diversity, The singer’s forays into folk, psychedelic,
jazz, African and blues comprise a never-ending quest to push boundaries and
gain new ground. Raising Sand, his 2007 duet album with Alison
Krauss, turned up the heat with a devastating left-curve to Zepheads holding
out for reunion tours and lunch pales. For Plant, however, it was another leap
up the ladder — one that put him in good stead with the country and bluegrassers.
The follow-up with Krauss on stand-by, Plant enlisted country legend Buddy Miller
to produce and record the mostly covers (except for one) album, Band
Of Joy.
It would be easy to write off Band Of Joy, named after the
band Plant was with before Led Zeppelin, as a faithful successor to Raising
Sand, but the edgier production, choice of songs and eclectic arrangements
give it its own quirky aura. Jumping from the dark and dirty jangle of Los Lobos’
“Angel Dance” to a sprite, upbeat take on Richard Thompson’s
“House Of Cards” seems to work out on so many indescribable levels.
But then it becomes clear during a temporal wade through Low’s “Silver
Rider.” This is Plant’s comfort zone — a slow and dramatic
vocal with Patty Griffin harmonizing over the top, reminiscent of Krauss, driven
by Miller’s moaning guitar licks and an entirely different shade of powerful
than your garden variety “Whole Lotta Love.” A similar tone greases
the wheels of “Monkey,” another track written by the husband/wife
duo Low.
Lighter moments come in many flavors —“You Can’t Buy Me Love”
bears a pop pedigree, while Townes Van Zant’s “Harm’s Swift
Way” skips to a country beat with an itchy chorus that could stir up the
floorboards of the Grand Ole Opry House. But then Plant strips things down and
crawls through the swamp, charring the sunset on “Satan, Your Kingdom
Must Come Down,” before loosening the screws for a shifty “Even
This Shall Pass Away” to close the record. For the kiddies, it’s
a stretch; for those who understand the motivation, Band Of Joy
is yet another stroke of artistic freedom from an uncompromising musician. The
records are more personal, done more for pride and dignity than pure profit.
As it is, the possibility of Robert Plant going back in time seems more improbable
than ever. It may, in fact, be a long and a lonely time until he rock and rolls
again.
~ Shawn Perry
