(Decca)

Avoiding the temptation to recycle his back-catalogue, English blues-shouter Robert Plant has ranged far and wide in his recent exploration of genres, from world music to the collaboration with Alison Krauss, Raising Sand.

Now, in a deliberate step away from that Grammy-winning roots pairing, Plant delivers Band of Joy, a solo offering named after his pre-Led Zeppelin group, although the title could just as well apply here to the joyous nature of the music-making experience.

To listen to previews of tracks from this album, press the play button

Sure, there’s loads of Zep bombast in drummer Marco Giovino and bassist Byron House’s booming rhythms (do play it on a big stereo system) but co-producer/guitarist Buddy Miller’s fuzz and reverb dominate. Darrell Scott’s
multiple string picking and Patty Griffin’s sweet harmonising add to this delightfully eclectic mix of 11 covers plus one Plant/Miller original, the raw, banjo-driven country-blues ‘Central Two-O-Nine’.

They re-fashion familiar songs such as Los Lobos’ ‘Angel Dance’ and folk-rocker Richard Thompson’s ‘House of Cards’, go folk-retro with ‘Cindy, I’ll Marry You Someday’ and Townes Van Zandt’s ‘Harms Swift Way’.

Standouts include mesmeric renditions of Low’s ‘Silver Rider’ and ‘Monkey’, plus the two triumphant gospel closers: ‘Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down’ and the thudding ‘Even This Shall Pass Away’.

– Mike Daly