Saving Grace
It’s hard to think of another artist from the ’70s classic-rock era who’s aged more gracefully than Robert Plant. Rather than trying of relive past glories, the former Led Zeppelin shrieker has spent much of the 21st century recontextualizing his formative influences—American blues, English folk, early rock ’n’ roll, Middle Eastern classical—into more earthy and ethereal realms. He carries himself less as a rock star than as a student, seeking out players and inspiration from niche scenes—be it bluegrass or indie rock—to bring his roots-music reinventions to life. *Saving Grace* is named for the group of players who’ve supported Plant since 2019, but like his previous crews Band of Joy and The Sensational Shape Shifters, they’re no mere backing band but fully integrated collaborators, with singer Suzi Dian playing his spirited vocal foil. Together, they roam through a collection of covers that effectively serves as a road map to Plant’s lifelong musical journey, connecting the dots between early Zep influence Memphis Minnie (a rollicking “Chevrolet”), his perennial San Fran psych favorites Moby Grape (a delightfully dreamy “It’s a Beautiful Day Today”), and his more recent obsession with Minnesota slocore legends Low (an urgent, Eastern-inflected interpretation of *The Great Destroyer* fuzz bomb “Everybody’s Song”). But even if Plant is now far removed from the proto-metal bombast of Led Zeppelin, *Saving Grace*’s simmering renditions of traditional tunes like “As I Roved Out” and “Gospel Plough” show that he still abides by his former band’s formative philosophy, by reinvigorating age-old musical texts for the modern age.
After six years in the making, Robert Plant’s ‘Saving Grace’ emerges as a spellbinding and mellifluous fusion of folk, country and blues. Recorded between