Robert Plant's new album, Band of Joy, fuses rock, folk and blues. Every song on the album is entirely its own, and with their harmonious vocals and thumping drums, they are sure to hit the soul of anyone. Plant clearly hasn't lost a step with his vocals. Even at the age of 62, he hits all the notes he did when he fronted legendary band Led Zeppelin over 30 years ago.
Band of Joy has many similarities to Raising Sand, the album Plant collaborated with country star Alison Krauss on in 2007. With the deep lyrics, beautiful vocals and flawless instrumentation, it's easy to draw common lines between the two.
Plant's more recent work, including Band of Joy, may not be full of the classic Zeppelin tunes people have come to love, but you can still tell where Plant's roots lie. While not full of the rip roaring rock songs, screaming lyrics or the psychedelic jams that made Zeppelin famous, Band of Joy finds Plant in his element, writing songs that remind us of why we fell in love with his voice in the first place. In fact, Band of Joy seems to be more comfortable for Plant than Raising Sand was. That isn't to say the Grammy-winning album wasn't phenomenal, but Band of Joy has more of a signature Robert Plant rock feel than the more country, Raising Sand did.
Band of Joy starts with Plant's rendition of a Los Lobos song called ""Angel Dance."" It is upbeat and doesn't stray far from the original style. Two tracks later, Plant calms down with ""Silver Rider,"" a slow, melodic cover originally written by the band Low.
""You Can't Buy My Love"" picks right back up with a classic '60s-style rock song that features rumbling drums, thumping bass and a vocal style reminiscent of early Beatles records.
Band of Joy is a roller coaster of emotions and styles of music that takes you from one end of the spectrum to the other. On ""Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down,"" Plant offers a dark, emotional confession before warming up with ""I'm Falling In Love Again,"" a Motown-inspired love song. The rockstar calls to mind the Zeppelin classic ""D'yer Mak'er"" as he sings, ""I'm thinking of you all the time / Oh darling please be mine.""
In emphasizing blues riffs, folk-style guitar and intricate mandolin, Plant evokes a truly American sound, despite his British descent. The distinct American backwoods feel in""Central Two-O-Nine,"" there is a in evokes the feeling of hopping on a train when Plant sings ""Let me hear that whistle blow / Take me back, my baby's gone.""
When an artist changes his or her style or goes solo, it is sometimes not for the best. This is not the case for Plant. One can only sell out areas and music theaters for so many years, and now Plant is settling down and writing music that still comes from the heart, just in a more tempered way than he has previously shown.
For all folk and blues listeners, this album is a must-buy. But even if that's not your style, the musicianship alone can't possibly go unappreciated. Just as Led Zeppelin once did, Plant has artfully crafted songs that evoke a myriad of emotions. Clearly, Robert Plant hasn't missed a beat.
