Robert Plant is back with a new song, a cover of the band Low’s track “Everybody’s Song,” and the promise of a new album, entitled Saving Grace, due September 26th! It has been a while since we’ve heard from Mr. Plant and I can’t tell you how delighted I am. His last LP was the wonderful collaboration with Alison Krauss, 2021’s Raise The Roof. That follow-up to Raising Sand was 14 years in the making. Clearly when you’re Robert Plant, you don’t have to rush on these things. Robert’s last solo album and what to date is his last album of all originals was Carry Fire from 2017. I was lucky enough to see him on that tour at the Midland Theater here in town. I’m excited to see (or is it hear) new Plant music in 2025. Apparently Plant produced this album himself which might be a first.

Plant has a new band backing him – the man has been nothing if not a musical gypsy in his solo career, always defying expectations – and the band is also named Saving Grace. I’ve been seeing social media posts for around five years that he’s been playing shows with these guys in between dates with Alison Krauss. The thing I noticed was he had yet another female vocalist foil to harmonize with, in this case, Suzi Dian. She usually gets a featured credit on the show advertisements. I’ve never heard of her but I know Plant loves to harmonize whether it’s with Alison Krauss, Patty Griffin (in the briefly lived Band Of Joy) or now Dian. Filling out the band is Tony Kelsey on guitar/banjo, with two string players Matt Worley and Barney Morse Brown and drummer Oli Jefferson to round the lineup out. I see those players and my first thought was, welcome to the hootenanny.

From the sound of the song and the make up of the band, Plant is clearly getting back into his folk music side. I really dig this song, although the Rock Chick said, and I quote, “It’s ok.” I’d like to tell you that she’s more into the banshee wail of “The Immigrant Song,” but one of her favorite Zeppelin songs is “Tangerine” so I was surprised by her tepid reaction. I even interrupted my binge watch of Your Friends And Neighbors to sit around and listen to this song repeatedly last night…but I digress. I do know that so many of you want to hear Plant come out and rawk, but he’s been doing mellow-ish stuff for quite a while now. That’s not to say he can’t uncork one once in a while. This track, “Everybody’s Song,” takes me into a Zeppelin III trance. If you want screaming rock n roll, pull up the new documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin. It’ll scratch that itch.

I’ll admit right off, I have not heard Low’s version of this song and while I should have sought it out, I wanted to experience the Plant version stand alone. The track starts off with an insistent drum beat and some intense acoustic strumming that borders on sounding Eastern influenced. Plant harmonizes with Dian, I can hear her, but Plant’s voice is front and center. There are tempo changes and when the music slows down it gives the vocalist a time to soar. I’m telling you, this really is giving me “Gallows Pole” or “Bron-Y-Aur” vibes. Here’s the video of the song from YouTube:

It’s been a semi-slow year for new albums from established artists… although we did great albums from Ringo, Van Morrison and Neil Young & the Chrome Hearts… so hearing that Plant is finally going to release a new album has me marking the calendar in September. As always I wish Plant had written some originals here, but I’m just happy to hear him sing and harmonize. We’ll be keeping our ear to the ground on this one!

Cheers!