Robert Plant delivers stunningly creative Carry Fire

Robert Plant – Carry Fire (Nonesuch/Warner Bros. Records)

Genre – Folk rock

A genuine legend of rock, Robert Plant has had a career many can only dream of. The voice, the continual reinvention, the creative experiments and the sheer volume and quality from the former Led Zeppelin front man has ensured that he needs no introduction.

Since leaving Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant has gone done a very different path to the blood pumping hard rock sounds of the iconic four piece. Carry Fire marks album number 11, and it’s very much a continuation of 2014’s beautiful Lullaby and… The Ceaseless Roar.

Much like the 2014 release, percussion is central to everything in Carry Fire, and that takes shape from the beginning of The May Queen. The deep, dense opener of filled with low droning vocals that make for a heart waring, relaxing track that filled with rhythm and soul.

Famed for his wails, the high pitched extremities of vocals and his exceptional pitch during his Zeppelin days, Robert Plant is now a man that’s very much at one with his music. His vocals weave themselves into the sonic waves of tracks like Seasonal Song and Bones Of Saints, with all the softness that has become an integral part of his modern music.

Lullaby and… The Ceaseless Roar saw Plant explore African themes, with bongos playing a key role in the sounds of the album. That continues in Carry Fire, particularly with Carving Up The World Against… A Wall and Not a Fence, which opens with a soft pounding bongo beat that orchestrates the pace and direction of the song, along with beautiful electric guitar solos that perfectly compliment Plant’s vocals.

The African folk vibe continues with A Way With Words and Carry Fire, with bongo beats remaining and the banjo becoming more prominent. Throughout these tracks, Plant’s intimate vocals whisper their way through the music with a charmingly relaxing elegance.

Robert Plant’s Carry Fire shows there’s still plenty of life left in the old rocker, and at the tender age of 69, he’s got no intention of calling it a day anytime soon. Carry Fire is a stunningly creative album, and one that will light up the stage on his November tour – don’t let this one pass you by.

RUSHONROCK RATED – 9/10 Like a fine wine…. You know how it goes!

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