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slowbellie's take on: robert plant

If every North American music fan were to make a top-ten list of the most prolific rock bands ever formed, it's safe to assume that the name Led Zeppelin would appear on the large majority of those lists. While there's no denying that Zeppelin has captured the musical imaginations of millions of fans over many a decade, the driving force behind their status as rock-god icons – reigning over their more contemporary predecessors in both album sales and, it may be argued, quality – remains to be pinpointed. However, the catalyst for their initial success is often contributed to that music anomaly that is "The Voice": Robert Plant.

Plant possesses a melodic howl that is unparelled in its ability to transport the listener to that mystical world that defined the Zeppelin sound - riddled with rumbling bass and surging power chords. His crisp, clear, crooning wail was the perfect fit to the soft, hazy ambience that served as the accompaniment to many an acid trip once upon a time. Since the break-up of Zeppelin, Plant has since sought to both revive and break away from the band's signature sound. On his own, Plant's career has been marked by a few successes, acheiving critical acclaim for solo efforts whose best victories come when he is able to channel the original Zepplin sound. Perhaps his unmistakable wail is simply too distinct to successfully break away from the Page/Bonham/Jones legacy.

With his latest offering, Plant rides the line between such seminal solo offerings as The Principle Of Moments and the arena pop rock thematics of Now & Zen, relying on his penchant for the mutant blues as often as he dips into the surging power chord and raised lighter back of tricks. "Another Tribe" sucks the listener in with shuffling acoustic guitar, back-masked surges, and Plant letting his voice drift with a whispering nonchalance over misty mountain washes of synthetic strings that caress his restrained caterwaul with fairy dust ambiance. Weird blips and gurgles worm their way underneath it all creating a fog drenched sense of serenity. It's a mesmerizing slice of mock Middle Eastern mysticism that is all to brief at a scant 3:16. The vibe carries over into the next track, "Shine It All Around" which beefs up the drums and rumble bass and brings to mind the epic rock/pop arena glitz of Now & Zen's finer moments.

On this album Plant's team embarks on a musical journey that provides the hypnotic quality of the original Zep sound, while at the same time incorporating a more obvious middle eastern mystic vibe. This was made possible by the heavy use of synthetic strings, which, I must say, turns cheesy at times.

Both blessed and cursed by The Voice, Plant's distinctive caterwaul provided the blues-metal behemoth Led Zeppelin with much of its dazzling allure and signature sound. Trying to live within the shadow of his accomplishments with that legendary outfit has been no small task, as every musical endeavor Plant has undertaken since has been scrutinized with a fine tooth comb, fans looking for that mystical reconnection. Plant has made good on several counts, but he's floundered just as often. But this one's pretty good, and Plant's voice, which one might think would be hashed beyond compare, still sounds crisp and clean, soft and warm with a mellow glow.

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