Note: Robert Plant will appear on the David Letterman show tonight, May 9. Will Ferrell is the featured guest.
On Friday, Robert will be on Conan O'Brien's show. James Spader is the featured guest.
I received my preordered copy of this album today from Amazon's UK site, where it was released May 2. It will go on sale tomorrow here in the United States. My pressing contains a "hidden track" after "Brother Ray," which is the 'rave mix' of the first single, "Shine It All Around."
All I can say is that the album is very, very good. I'm not sure I can gush over it like some of the critics have, specifically the ones that say it is his greatest work since mid-period Zeppelin, or since Physical Graffiti, mainly because I love Presence and In Through the Out Door. However, I can safely say that it is better than Dreamland and it approaches the greatness of 1993's Fate of Nations. I don't necessarily like to compare works by the same artist. It's really purely subjective. I'm sure that 1983's Principle of Moments was very good for its time, but it may not possess the same resonance today as it might have then, especially among younger listeners. I guess I can say that virtually all Zeppelin sounds timeless to me, while some of the group's former members have produced albums that now sound somewhat dated, even if I can still appreciate them. On some songs, Mighty Rearranger has been infused with some electronica in addition to its rock and African rhythms, and in time the electronica may sound to us the same way 80s synthesizers sound to us today. For an album of this time, it's really good. Lyrically, I believe it's just as good as his best, on Fate of Nations, if not better.
"Another Tribe" starts the album. If you read the Rolling Stone Q&A that I posted yesterday, you'll recall that Plant calls this his best latter-day vocal performance. I'm not sure I would agree with that, but it's a good song. The vocals are definitely mixed to the front. The main instrument is the percussion, with some string accompaniment. The lyrics may refer to tolerance for other people's beliefs and/or culture:
"I think there may be a war in heaven
Paradise beneath the smoking gun
As every saint and small town saviour
Race to justify their chosen one
I wonder, as our world collides
I want to reach out there
Across the great divide"
"Shine It All Around" is the first single, and it's been out for a while. It features the big, pronounced drum beat and great bass line. The vocals are echoed in some places, and the guitar is nice and crunchy. This is a great pop song, and probably the wisest choice for the first single. The lyrics pertain to famine relief ("break a little bread now, share it all around..."). There's a nice short solo about three minutes in.
I've already posted the lyrics to "Freedom Fries" but the Myrtle Beach show was the only time I had heard the song until now. It's a pretty funky number, North African drum intro with the vocals coming in next, and then the bass and guitar. The lyrics are just great to this one. There's an excellent guitar solo on the "outro." Here are some of the lyrics again:
"Billy the Kid told the Prince of Thieves,
A little give and take to satisfy my needs
You can give me lots but I'll take some more
I got my eyes on your treasure beneath the desert floor
Freedom fries and burns and scars
The liberator goes too far"
"Tin Pan Valley" is next. This song has an electronica-flavored introduction with almost whispered vocals, bass and drum accompaniment. There's just a great rhythm to this track with excellent phrasing. There's a degree of irony to the lyrics given Mr. Plant's appearance on two late-night shows this week...It is not until Robert yells, "Like THIS!" that the guitar really kicks in and he unleashes some of those trademark wails. Then the understated vocals return for another round until..."like THIS" everything explodes again.
Again, some lyrics:
"I come from Tin Pan Valley and I'm moving right along
I live on former glory, so long ago and gone
I'm turning down the talk shows, the humour and the couch
I'm moving up to higher ground, I've found a new way out.
There's parasols and barbeques and loungers by the pool
The late night conversations filled with 20th century cool
My peers may flirt with cabaret, some fake the rebel yell
Me - I'm moving up to higher ground, I must escape this hell..."
Next up is a really nice acoustic ballad called "All The King's Horses" that features some great picking from Skin Tyson. There's an electric guitar in the background. Sounds like Plant's vocals are doubled on the repetition of the song's title in a couple spots, which has a nice effect. There's a very fluid solo in the middle portion. This is a good campfire kind of love song.
"All the Kings horses, all the Kings men
I'll weave a circle round the sun
Throw down my arms and give my all
I'll be your soldier of love"
Track six is the previously reviewed "The Enchanter" that has a very sensual groove to it. The drum and bass work very well together, and the guitar is serpentine in nature. There are some electronic effects, but they're in the background and do not compete with the huge backbeat and swirling guitar. If it was up to me, I would have made this song the first single. Perhaps it will be next. There is what some have described as a "rave-like fade out," and this is true to a certain extent, but I think it works within the song. In addition to the effects, there's Justin Adams on the bongo and a simple keyboard line repeated over again with a little bass. This is one of the best tracks, and it's undoubtedly about a provocative female. If the last song was wholesome, this one hints at the passion underneath.
"Takamba" follows, and this begins with some muted guitar and some clapping before the rest of the band enters and blows everything up. This has one of the best introductions. Plant declares, "Sing a song of freedom, write it in the sky. Pocket full of secrets, belly-full of lies...tricks and mirrors, sleight of hand - promised land." The lyrics look to be a bash of Prime Minister Blair's decision to lead the UK to war with the US in Iraq. A very strong song.
"Dancing in Heaven" sounds like a corny title, but this song is really quite good. Prominently featured is Skin's acoustic guitar once again, gently supported by the rest of the band and strong vocals from Robert. Nice solo, likely from Skin - and good bass work from Billy Fuller. There's a nice groove to this track.
"Somebody Knocking" - if you read my blog regularly, you'll realize that I already panned this song more than a month ago. I've tried to listen to it since then, and while it has grown on me a bit, it's still not my favorite. In the context of the album, it fits well enough. The instrumentation is somewhat rambling, but Plant's vocals definitely sound better on the CD than they did in the mp3 I've had for weeks now. The lyrics on this song are the weakest of the whole album, mostly blues cliches and variations on that theme set incongrously to North African instrumentation.
"Let the Four Winds Blow" made its live debut at the Myrtle Beach show I saw in late March. This track is similar to "Tin Pan Valley" in a way, there is a good rhythm and groove coupled with great phrasing on Plant's part. The vocals may be stronger on this track. The whole song has a kind of sauntering stride to it, a mixture of quiet confidence and with just a little bit of aggression that removes any doubt that the song rocks. More great work from the whole band and standout guitar from both Skin and Justin Adams. There is quite a bit that sounds similar to "If I Ever Get Lucky" from Dreamland and from Justin Adams' solo CD, Desert Road.
"Mighty Rearranger": The title track has a lot of the swing of the last track. The vocals are mixed a bit oddly here, with the effect of having them sound somewhat hollow with a bit of echo. The song sounds a bit tinny before the rhythm section steps in, and even then, there's something not quite right. The live version from Texas I've heard sounded superior to the album version. That said, there's some nice harmonica here from Plant.
"Brother Ray" is not much of a song. It's more like a piece of a jam that was somewhat obviously tacked on to the album as an afterthought, or as a hastily-arranged tribute to Ray Charles, or both. It sounds like everyone in the band picked up whatever instrument happened to be around them and started playing. There are no actual lyrics, just a series of "ooh" and "ahhh, yeah" repetitions from Plant. The whole thing lasts just over a minute before a few seconds of silence and then the remix of "Shine it All Around." I've heard the bonus track on the Japanese pressing, "Red, White, and Blue" and would have preferred that, either in place of the remix or "Brother Ray." I think RWB is really good. Remixes are for singles, not for albums, in my opinion.
All in all, a very solid effort for Robert Plant. I can't wait to see him again in Philly and Toronto this summer.
Now go out and buy the album, if you haven't already.
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