Usually when I review an album, I go through it track by track, discussing the lyrics, musical highlights, and ways it connects with other bands or work previously done by that artist. That will not be the case with Carry Fire, the eleventh solo album by Robert Plant, and you will see why.
First, however, I owe myself an apology, for I am truly sorry I did not purchase this the day it came out in 2017. I was aware of it, listened to a few tracks, and even had it on a couple of birthday and Christmas lists, but for whatever reason, I did not purchase it until recently, and for that I am deeply regretful, for it is from top to bottom one of the finest musical experiences I have every enjoyed.
Back in 1988, I purchased Plant's fourth solo album after the demise of Led Zeppelin, a work called Now and Zen, and I loved it, especially tracks like "Tall Cool One," "The Way I Feel," and "White, Clean, and Neat." Now, "Tall Cool One" certainly had a Zeppelin vibe, which it could not help but have given that Jimmy Page played on the track and that it included numerous references to Zep songs. The other songs, especially those noted above, carried a wispy feel that took me to another place and time, and it was clear even then that Plant would be exploring musical territory far beyond the boundaries of hard rock and metal.
I did not really keep up with Plant's solo work after that, although I did enjoy the collaborative project Raising Sand that he did with Alison Krauss in 2007 and the accompanying, and quite wonderful, performance they gave for the CMT show Crossroads, many videos from which can be found on YouTube.
In fact, it was this album that made get back into Plant's work, for in this collaboration, he showcased just how far he had come from the "Hey, hey, mama" days of Led Zeppelin. You could feel the soulful sensitivity that he was searching for, and often found, and the creativity he sparked with the other musicians made so much else on the market pale in comparison.
And so we arrive at his 2017 release Carry Fire. Most of the time I can only listen to a few songs, and even then, I must occasionally stop a song in its middle. They touch too deeply for me to listen to more at one time. There is only one track that hearkens back to Plant's rock roots, "Carving Up The World Again...A Wall And Not A Fence." The rest are musical streams that carry you away in their gentle currents to places in your soul that you may not have known existed. It is an album best enjoyed with a good pair of headphones. Close your eyes and let the lush, exotic, instrumental sounds, including the delicate instrument of Plant's voice, wash over you. Now, if that sounds strange to those who grew up on his chest-beating wail in songs like "Rock And Roll," then listen to the opening track "The May Queen," the exquisite "A Way With Words," or the title track "Carry Fire." I think you will agree that "delicate" is the perfect descriptor for a voice that is feeling its way carefully toward...well, whatever it is, we find ourselves grateful to go along on its journey, more than willing to carry fire to light its way.
