Band of Joy could be seen as a fitting follow-up to 2008's Raising Sand, in that Plant continues to experiment with roots American music. However, it is in no way Raising Sand 2. Plant continues to push forward, finding new sounds and new ways of expressing himself.
It is an incredible and original expression too; it does not bear any resemblance to Led Zeppelin, even at their most acoustic. In fact, listening to this you can definitely hear why Plant turned down the Zep reunion tour; Plant sounds committed to these songs, the pleasure he gets from them and, more important, the emotional release. Those aspects far outweigh anything he could have gotten from retreading old classics.
It helps that Plant has another pro to help him navigate these new musical waters, in this case, songwriter/producer/session man Buddy Miller. Like Allison Krauss, Miller is a surprising choice; far from the collaborators one might expect Plant to work with. Miller is a Nashville insider, having written songs for and/or worked with (in the studio and on the road) such luminaries as Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Linda Rondstadt and many more. In addition, Plant has Patty Griffin, another unexpected choice, sharing vocal duties with him. The rest of the band includes Marco Giovino on drums, Byron House on bass, and Darrell Scott on a variety of strings, including banjo, mandolin and pedal steel. These musicians form a tight band behind Plant, playing solidly together and pushing his performances.
In fact, the group of musicians assembled for Band Of Joy act as much more than a backing band. This album is far more a collaboration between musicians than a showcase for Plant's vocals. This is especially true of the interaction between Plant and Miller. Miller's production and musical choices are as integral a part of the album as the singing. It almost seems the album should be credited to Plant/Miller (but then it probably wouldn't sell as well). On first listen, I actually heard more Buddy Miller in the run-time than Robert Plant but, the more I listen, the more I can't separate their individual contributions.
The music is built on classic Americana – folk, blues, gospel – but it has a modern sound. The actual sources (only one song, “Central Two-O-Nine” is an Miller/Plant original; all the others are covers) include traditional folk and gospel, plus a large number of contemporary songwriters from David Hidalgo (of Los Lobos) to Richard Thompson, Townes Van Zandt to the indie band Low. In many of these, Plant and Miller find the roots music hidden in modern rock (and the modern rock lurking within traditional songs).
There are a variety of styles here, from the banjo driven “Get Along Cindy” to the haunting, echo-drenched version of Low's “Monkey.” It is all held together by Miller's production, which is generally dense and rich, but not muddy. This production is greatly responsible for the contemporary feel of the music.
Along the way through Band Of Joy, Plant explores issues far from the testosterone swagger of Zeppelin. This is a mature Plant dealing with adult questions. The love songs have a tenderness rarely heard from Plant. There is also a strong spiritual component here, from the literal (“Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down,” an old spiritual), to the more metaphorical (“The Only Sound that Matters” and “Silver Rider”).
Band of Joy is an incredibly powerful and rewarding album, both musically and emotionally. If only more of classic rock's superstars would continue to explore and grow musically like Plant has in the past few years.
Artist:
www.robertplant.com/
www.myspace.com/robertplant
Album:
Band Of Joy is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
