Matthew Wilkening at the AOL Radio Blog posts his list of Top 10 Robert Plant songs. Wilkening also leaves it open for fans to list their favorite songs that might have been left off the list, but as he says: “don’t say Stairway to Heaven, you’ll just embarrass us all.”

See the List

Olaf Tyaransen of the Herald.ie was among the journalists at the June 1 debut listen of Robert Plant’s new album Band of Joy. He writes:

“To London for a sneak listening preview of Robert Plant’s forthcoming album, Band Of Joy. Although it won’t be released until September, Universal Records obviously have high hopes for it. They’ve flown journalists in from as far away as Australia to play them the album just once. Security is tight and all mobiles and recording devices have to be handed in at the door.

The long-haired former Led Zeppelin frontman is present himself. “I used to be in a psychedelic band but there’s never been a more surreal point than this one.”

Although I’m sworn to secrecy, I doubt anyone at the record company will object to me telling you that the new album is absolutely superb.”

The Looking for Roots blog shared a couple of thoughts about two different Robert Plant stylings: Killing the Blues and Song to the Siren:

Guitarist Christine Bougie suggested the Robert Plant/Alison Krauss record Raising Sand and I thought, wow how long has it been since I listened to that one? So I grabbed it and put it in the car for the morning commute, but was barely 2 miles along the two-lane highway when track 2, “Killing the Blues” came on. I had to just pull over. With the sun rising into a peach mist and the trees fading into haze, I listened to the track twice, breaking out in goosebumps. “Somebody said they saw me, swinging the world by the tail, bouncing over a white cloud, killing the blues.” Oh yes.

You know how sometimes you want to just listen to the same song over and over and over again. My dearheart does this a lot, and most of the time it makes me crazy. But this morning, I was listening to the album Dreamland by Robert Plant, and the tune “Song to the Siren” came on and I just was chilled and thrilled and goosebumped up over it. So I played it again. And again. And again. In the 50-minute drive, I probably listened to that song for 40 minutes.

Blogger Morgan Young in “On the Flip-Side” examines “Gone, Gone, Gone” from the perspective of the original Everly Brothers version. Young also examines Robert’s stylistic changes on the song, writing in part:

My paradigm of appreciation for Robert Plant changed in one instant. Plant’s vocal style has been totally contradictory to that of the Everly Brothers. Plant is famous for big, rounded, swoops to hit the note he is seeking. I think he would tell you that. But on this song — and the album — he sings in a more traditional country style — jagged, right angles. A style performed to perfection by the freakishly tight harmonies of the Everly Brothers. The change in Plant’s style on Raising Sand is a necessity because of his collaboration with country singer, Krauss. You can’t harmonize with big, looping vocal swells. You need to hit the note and hit it hard and fast. Plant still gets in some of those swells on this song in between harmonies, but for the most part, he is sticking the note nicely.

Read the entire article.

Helen Brown reviews “Essential Alison Krauss” for the Telegraph (UK), and references Raising Sand. Brown writes:

Angelic, pure, sweet, demure, faultless, goody-goody: these are the adjectives most frequently used to describe Alison Krauss, perhaps making her an unlikely recording partner for heavy metal hero Robert Plant. But when the head girl of bluegrass spread her honeyed vocals over the Led Zeppelin wild man’s burnt toast voice on last year’s Raising Sand covers album, the critics swooned, the public bought 2.5 million copies and the Grammy for album of the year was in the bag.

Tim Little, writing in the KRVM blog “Routes and Branches” featured Alison Krauss on the occasion of her birthday. He writes:

Alison has produced great vocals, but I feel her best came out when she hooked up with Robert Plant. Their album “Raising Sand” was one of my favorites last year.

Blogger Brian Gardiner presented a list of his 45 favorite 45s. He places Robert Plant’s “Burning Down One Side” at number 43, saying:

Robert Plant’s first solo release I probably bought this because it was released before the album (a common practice back then). I can’t remember if it disappointed, but it shouldn’t have: great song.

Shawn William Clarke of Birds Too Tired to Fly likes Raising Sand:

If you haven’t picked it up yet, you must get a hold of Robert Plant’s duet album with Alison Krauss. One thing you gotta admire about Robert Plant, is that his music is aging well with him. He isn’t 18 anymore. Unlike most of the dinosaurs from his era, he’s only interested in creating new music, not profiting off past endeavors (so no Honeydrippers reunion tours!). Give these tracks a listen, then rush out and pick up a copy of “Raising Sand”.

Blogger Colleen recalls:
I bought Robert Plant’s Principle of Moments album at Sweets Records and Tapes at the Target Shopping Center at 80th and Wadsworth. I remember Danny, the odd man who ran the place (and now is a purveyor of books in the same shopping center, different location), asking me what the picture on the album cover meant. I was twelve, prone to fits of shyness and embarassment and really just wanted to hear “Big Log” whenever I wanted and not be at the whim of the radio or certain record store clerks, and shrugged, cheeks crimson, “I don’t know.” He looked at me with disdain, and very nearly didn’t let me buy the album, before saying, “It’s THE principle of moments!” “Um okay, can I take it home now?” I enjoyed, at my leisure, some good, but what now sounds like very 80’s music.

Blogger James VanOsdol looks back at Robert Plant’s “Heaven Knows”.

I’ve been spending a lot of time revisiting Plant’s solo catalog, from “Pictures at Eleven” and “Far Post” on through the Allison Krauss duet. Of all the singles released post-Zep, none were as good as this. An appropriately soaring track with strong backing vocals that never distract from the Golden God.