Justin Adams recently spoke with Philippa Kennedy and her article appears in the National (UAE). Adams talks about his involvement with WOMAD and his affinity for desert music. He also talked about teaming up with Robert Plant:

The call from Robert Plant, asking Adams to work with him, came out of the blue. “I was completely star-struck at first. That was a pretty surprising phone call to get. He was looking for a guitarist and somebody recommended me. Obviously, when you are playing for Robert Plant for the first time in a rehearsal it’s a bit scary because he has been part of your life.

Both men gained musically from the relationship, Adams believes: “We turned each other on to really good music. For instance I took him to the Sahara desert to play at the Festival of the Desert and he took me to the Mississippi delta.”

Adams also hinted at a show with Robert Plant later in the year:

“This year I may be doing a concert in October with Robert Plant, but you never know till the last minute with Robert,” he says.

David Hutcheon, writing for The Sunday Times (UK) interviews Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara about their upcoming release “Tell No Lies”. The article explores what happens when three sidemen get together in the limelight. Adams talks about first getting together with Camara to work on the soundtrack for the movie Sahara, which was recorded in a makeshift studio. “From recording with Plant to a couple of microphones and a laptop in the garage,” says the guitarist, shaking his head. “Another great backward step in my career.”

Adams also comments on Robert Plant joining them for WOMAD Abu Dhabi:

The pair have to leave: there is a show in Abu Dhabi to be prepared for. “It’s a bit odd,” says Adams. “Robert Plant is going to be our guest. Our guest. It’s crazy. This guy who has just won six Grammys and sold millions of albums, and he wants to play with us.”

Full article with free download

Peter Culshaw, writing for the Telegraph (UK) reviews WOMAD Abu Dhabi. He writes in part:

The biggest reaction, and the biggest audience, was for the last night, which saw Robert Plant with British guitarist Justin Adams and Gambian Juldeh Camara, who sang beautifully and played a hypnotic one-stringed fiddle in a specially commissioned show for Womad. Plant, now 62, prowled the stage like an ageing lion who is still king of the jungle, belting out bluesy, almost psychedelic versions of Led Zeppelin hits like Black Dog and Rock And Roll. Mohammed Mounir, the Egyptian pop star, whose songs can be heard in the taxis and restaurants throughout the Middle East had an even more delirious response.

Blogger Tyrone Fowler caught Robert Plant’s performance at WOMAD Abu Dhabi and had this to say:

The next night, Saturday, was all about Robert Plant. While WOMAD had been advertised here for a few months, Robert Plant’s presence on Saturday was a relatively new announcement. We didn’t know if he’d only come on for a song or two, or if he’d be a major feature of the show. Deciding to stay later meant that I’d probably not get a full night’s sleep before heading to work the next day, but we were sure that it would be worth it.

And it was!

It started with a group made up of musicians from Gambia and the UK. Once again, we were treated to a mix of traditional vocals and drums with electric guitar. About three songs into the set, Robert Plant arrived. The rest of the show is a bit of a blur - his voice is so distinctive, and listening to him live on a beach is certainly the chance of a lifetime. He *did* do a few old Led Zep songs (like Black Dog, yes Meron, you were right), which made us all go a bit nuts. My favourite song of the night, however, was the Leadbelly song Black Girl, made famous by Nirvana (and now Robert Plant hehehe).

Ian Birrell, writing for the Independent, summed up WOMAD Abu Dhabi, including Robert Plant’s performance with Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara. He writes:

The result was like a world cup of music, with banners, flags and cheering crowds. The Maghrebis turned out in force for Massi and Khaled, the Kurds for The Kamkars, the West Africans for Youssou N’Dour, the Westerners for Robert Plant. Each was greeted with a passion unlike anything seen at a British Womad. Plant joked that he was expecting to be booed off stage, such was the fervour building for the Egyptian star Mohamed Mounir, scheduled to follow him. It made for an intoxicating festival, despite the reliance on fruit juice rather than vodka jellies.

The last night belonged to two men. First up was Robert Plant, playing as special guest of his friend and guitarist Justin Adams and the Gambian griot Juldeh Camara. Plant was in imperious form, with three Led Zeppelin songs in a nine-song set : “Four Sticks”, “Rock and Roll” and a rapid-fire “Whole Lotta Love”. The single-string of Camara’s ritti was weirdly discordant, adding an intriguing new element to the songs. Best of all was the makeshift band’s cover of Leadbelly’s “Black Girl”, slowed down to the point whereby it teetered on the edge of disintegration, bringing out the full malevolence with spine-tingling passion.

Watching Plant perform, it seemed rather admirable that he turned down vast sums to retread old footsteps in favour of continuing to explore the music that has inspired him throughout his life in all its myriad forms. He was rewarded with screams from the audience – a sound not often heard at Womad festivals, let alone in the Gulf – and women holding banners saying that if he wanted a whole lotta love, invite the holders on stage. It proved old rockers can remain revolutionaries.

Entertainment writer and blogger Stephen Humphries sums up Robert Plant’s appearance at WOMAD Abu Dhabi and included a selection of videos.

Read it.

Isadora Papadrakakis, Performing Arts Advisor for ADACH (Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage) lists Robert Plant’s appearance at WOMAD Abu Dhabi as one of the most outstanding performances:

There were many outstanding performances throughout the weekend, probably one of the most magical experiences of the entire festival was Robert Plant singing with the Abu Dhabi skyscrapers lighting the sky behind him. His magnetic presence, movement and voice blended perfectly with Justin and Juldehs’ Rock and African sounds.

According to a Real World Records tweet, Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara will appear on Radio 4’s Today show on Saturday, April 25.

You can listen to the program on the Radio 4 website.

Adams and Camara will also be appearing at WOMAD Abu Dhabi that day along with Robert Plant.

Stephen Dalton, writing for The National Newspaper, catches up with Robert Plant, Justin Adams, Juldeh Camara, Martyn Barker and Billy Fuller at Real World studios where they are rehearsing for their Womad appearance. The article talks about how they are working together on their performances. Dalton ends his article with:

He may have disappointed millions of Led Zeppelin fans by turning down a comeback tour, but there is something admirable about Plant’s preference for putting passion before profit. He continues to take the road less travelled, soaking up sounds from all over the globe, treating music as a voyage of discovery and shared cultural adventure. Womad is just another step in this never-ending journey.

“This is so straightforward,” Plant says, “without any big production deals or anything like that. It’s where music came from. And as time goes on, the less the hassle and the more the adventure, the more stimulating it is for me. This is just another one of those moments along the way.”

Robert Plant will be appearing with Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara for the final night of WOMAD Abu Dhabi on April 25, 2009. Negotiations for the appearance have been in the works for months, and the appearance was created especially for WOMAD. Chris Smith, director of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage says:

“The fact is that Robert Plant only does things that he wants to do,” said Mr Smith. “He was excited by the thought of performing at a free festival in Abu Dhabi. This is going to be a chance of a lifetime to hear such a unique combination. Robert is a lovely guy, who is very keen not to steal the thunder from the others.”

WOMAD website