Band of Joy

After a total lack of subject I come back with something at least a bit interesting to share. Robert Plant's newest album. Everyone that knows me knows that Led Zeppelin is my favorite band and one of the major reasons is this man's voice. And I must say, it is like fine wine, it gets better with age. 

The album is very good for listening anytime, and it's excelent travelling music. It follows the path of the country-blues and the roots of American music. Of course (thanks God, maybe) his voice does not have all that power of Zep's good ol' days, and perhaps that's why he re-learned to sing.  No more screaming , groaning and high notes, he still have the sex appeal but he, now sing with such an elegance among accoustic guitars, mandolins, banjos, pedal steel guitars and accordions. The duets with the singer Patty Griffin are also something that deserves attention in this album, they are beautiful. 

The first track Angel Dance invites you to dance, House of Cards is a bit obscure, Central Two O Nine, the only song written by Plant, has some of those arabic references so common to some of Zeppelin songs in it's backing vocals.

Silver Rider is probably the most melancholic track of the album (no wonder why it's my favorite) and it's also the longer. He sings for six whole minutes and I could stay listening it endlessly. You can't buy my love is a funny ballad, with lots of drums and percurssion and before you notice you're alredy dancing at the sound of it. Falling in Love Again is one of those ballads from the 50's, made for dancing cheek to cheek. 

The Only Sound that Matters is the countryest of the songs, and it's beautiful. Monkey is probably the only track I would skip while listening to the album, some of the critics liked it but I found it a bit annoying at some tomes. Get along home Cindy is one of those songs that sound like Zep's songs in it's last days but you can't remember the name of any of them to compare. LOL

Harms Swifted Away has some of that country beat. Satan your kingdome must come down is a classic song from America's folk music and it was performed beautifully by Plant. Even This Shall Pass Away is a poem by Theodore Tilton and it has a bit of Zep's psycoldelia. The drums are really marked here and it has a lot of distortion. 

Band of Joy was the name of Plant's blues & Soul band back in the 60's, before Led Zeppelin in which John Bohan also played. Plant ressurected the band in this album and tour and it doesn't disappoint at all. Now, that you've done a great job, dear Robert, could you please, go on tour with Jimmy Page and the Zep again?