What Are You Listening To?

[Ruby]

Robert Plant – lullaby and … THE CEASELESS ROAR



Forget about anything remotely resembling Led Zeppelin; Robert Plant has reinvented himself ... yet again!

I was very much looking forward to having a good listen to this album (which has recently arrived), perhaps too much so, because while it has now become firmly entrenched in whichever part of the brain retains a musical memory, I confess to a completely unfounded twinge of initial disappointment. I think that was because this is such a subtle, graceful, elegant offering, that one cannot possibly assimilate all the nuances immediately. On a few further spins, I do not, for one second, regret this purchase.

Robert Plant is large in every way; a lover of life and even more so, a truly authentic lover and investigator of music. The man knows his stuff, and IMHO he deserves all the respect he’s been given for this addition to the annals – he’s earned it, no question.

I love the package design which comprises a double-sided card ‘envelope’ cover, not a jewel case. The shell motif with sketchy waves and an anchor encompassing a trident, to me, perfectly depicts the ‘ceaseless roar’ which of course, echoes in us all. The earthy tones of the artwork and the subject matter are analogous, in a way, of a force of nature; further confirmation of the care and deliberation that went into this production – super classy!

The booklet shows photos of each of the Sensational Space Shifters (as well as a rather wizardly looking Plant - Merlin springs to mind), crediting them for their contributions, and rightly so, especially since they are not credited on the CD cover, although they are mentioned on the spine, I notice. This is no staid, formulaic backing band – they are mature musicians who know their stuff, and they play together with a distinctly alternative edge, all of which helps to qualify this album as a highly successful combination of traditional and contemporary sounds, including wonderfully pervasive percussive beats, and of course, all held together by that voice.

Well done Mr Plant and cohorts – your production, interpretation, execution and presentation is most excellent!

Tack listing

1. Little Maggie
   
2. Rainbow
   
3. Pocketful of Golden
   
4. Embrace Another Fall
   
5. Turn it Up
   
6. A Stolen Kiss
   
7. Somebody There
   
8. Poor Howard
   
9. House of Love
   
10. Up on the Hollow Hill (Understanding Arthur)
    
11. Arbaden (Maggie’s Babby)
    

I can’t decide on an absolute favourite track, but this one’s in the running …

[video=youtube;V0uiU7pKBDQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0uiU7pKBDQ[/video]