Robert Plant
"Carry Fire"
(Nonesuch / Warner Bros. (ASTERISK)(ASTERISK)(ASTERISK) {)
Robert Plant refuses to cash the Led Zeppelin reunion check, and God bless him for it. The 69-year-old rock titan continues to age with leonine grace. After finding his bluegrass and acoustic Americana groove with Alison Krauss on the Grammy-winning "Raising Sand" in 2007 and carrying forward with Patty Griffin on 2010's "Band of Joy," this is his second album with the Sensational Space Shifters, the five-man group that pulls his evocative spiritual blues into a Middle Eastern and Celtic musical direction. This beautifully paced collection occasionally raises a ruckus, when cleverly critiquing imperialism on "Carving Up the World Again," delving into the politics of immigration on "New World," or teaming with guest Chrissie Hynde on a fully revamped cover of Ersel Hickey's 1958 rockabilly hit "Bluebirds Over the Mountain." But mostly the exploratory songwriter immerses himself in a rich sonic landscape that moves past traditional rock instrumentation by incorporating a range of worldly acoustic textures. On the gorgeous, swirling opener, "The May Queen," which makes a lyrical nod to "Stairway to Heaven," Plant ruminates on "the dimming of my light," but his creative flame still burns bright. _ Dan DeLuca
