ROBERT PLANT: Saving Grace (POP): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Since 2019, Robert Plant has been touring under the banner of Saving Grace, which has made it its mission to reopen the pages of the book of American musical traditions, a work that was beginning to gather dust. Although the adventure has been forced to stall due to Covid, the former Led Zeppelin singer has announced September 26, 2025 as the release date for a debut album credited to Robert Plant and Suzi Dian and recorded in Wales.

Robert Plant loves to travel. “Saving Grace” takes us through space-time rifts, reviving the voice of tradition. The covers on offer are anything but standard fare for newcomers. It would therefore be impossible to accuse Robert Plant of running out of ideas and resorting to one of the two favorite stylistic exercises of singers in distress (the second of which is reinterpreting their songs as duets). We find a jumble of Martha Scanlan, Bob Mosley, and Blind Willie Johnson. The choice of repertoire allows us to enjoy a fairly wide range of genres: country, folk, blues. These songs unearthed from the past speak to us of a not-so-distant American era. The emotion is raw, with an emphasis on acoustic minimalism. The guitar offers clear and vibrant motifs (‘As I Roved Out’, ‘Too Far From You’, punctuated with pretty solo breaks), while the rhythm section is dynamic, sometimes letting loose.

The deep voice of the patriarch becomes a storyteller, and we are ready to follow him to the edge of dawn (“Soul Of A Man”). This spirit is never sententious and is revitalizing, as if on a dark Sunday in a small house lost in the middle of the countryside, benevolent specters came to share with us their stories of life and other scars. Suzi Dian's enchanting voice is a charming asset. The two performers seem to merge into a single voice, even more so than in the Alison Krauss episode (‘It's A Beautiful Day’, ‘Ticket Taker’, ‘I Never Will Marry’). The two performers offer themselves to us with their fragility and vulnerability. In short, there is no deception, and this relationship of trust is honored to the delight of our ears, particularly on the emotional peak of the incandescent ‘Everybody's Song’. A good sport, Robert Plant lets his vocal partner take the lead on ‘Higher Rock’. However, there are a few monotonous moments in the first part of the album, where the minimalist spirit can give us the false impression that we are listening to the same song on repeat.

Don't mention retirement to him! At 77 years old, Robert Plant, accompanied by his band Saving Grace, is still eager to explore new territory and bring us sparkling gems from the musical tradition he has made his own. Like the bison on the album cover, we hope to hear him continue his quest to the far reaches of musical genres. - Official website

ROBERT PLANT

SAVING GRACE

AUTOPRODUCTION

POP