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100It's marked by the fresh excitement of mapping out new territory rather than the more craven pleasure of wallowing in nostalgia: an object lesson in the value of not giving people what they want.
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Robert Plant sounds vocally reenergized on this covers-heavy follow-up to his Grammy-winning Alison Krauss collaboration, Raising Sand.
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90The suspicion lingers that Band Of Joy will be remembered more fondly than its wonderful predecessor.
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90Clearly neither advancing age nor years of unabated success have deprived Plant of either his constant appetite for challenge or his ability to deliver in a cogent, credible and thoroughly convincing fashion.
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It's as a joyous a record as you'll ever hear, a testament that the power of music lies not in its writing but in its performance.
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90Where its predecessor found Plant operating in a finely-tuned genre, Band Of Joy gives him an opportunity to explore his influences, and to colour a few choice odds and ends from the rock 'n' roll canon with his indelible mark.
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Plant has steadfastly resisted a return to the Zep fold; Band of Joy makes us glad for that.
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What was once Plant's bold reclamation of self has become a little pat, but it's hard to complain about the predictability of Band Of Joy when the songs sound so good, with their softly sawing guitars, syncopated rhythms, and voices rising from the fuzz, strong and sure.
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Jan 10, 201180While touching upon Led Zep's more pastoral moments and Raising Sand's rootsy variety, Robert avoids rehashing his former glories.
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80"Satan, your kingdom must come down," Plant croons on the penultimate track. Take that, Jimmy Page.
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In the end, Plant sounds more comfortable in this genre than he has on any of his past solo albums.
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80It all adds up to more willful magic from Plant. [Oct. 2010, p. 94]
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80It's the sound of a man confronting his own inevitable end with humour and dignity. Let's hope he doesn't move on any time soon. As band OF Joy proves, this particular wellspring is far from dry. [Oct 2010, p.82]
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80Band Of Joy is a good place for him to stay a little longer. [Oct 2010, p.114]
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80Co-produced by Plant and critically revered singer-songwriter-guitarist Buddy Miller, Joy is a mostly covers grab bag stitched together by Plant's sweetly urgent croon and finely crafted layers of sepia-toned instrumentation and vocals.
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80Band of Joy, by both reaching back and by yearning for a decorous new future, is an album that matters.
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If Plant does nothing more on this album than draw attention to that Duluth, Minn., trio's music, he deserves praise.
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This is a record primarily about loss and time's march, and Plant sings with gravity, working his middle range.
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Band Of Joy is an essential purchase... if your dad is having a birthday this month.
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60It's nice that he's managed to keep things tasteful, but instead of quiet intensity, it comes across more as overly cautious and timid – not exactly what he was aiming for.
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60An album of blues covers that's beautifully mellow and endearingly warm. [25 Sep 2010, p.52]
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Jan 3, 201140Without co-star Alison Krauss or marquee Texan producer T Bone Burnett, Robert Plant's latest solo outing suffers the expected sequel slump.