Originally published in Philadelphia Inquirer–July 29, 2002
By Ed Condran

Legendary British vocalist Robert Plant, 53, is on the road showcasing tracks from his latest disc, the moody and eclectic Dreamland. The former Led Zeppelin frontman will deliver an array of new material and some old nuggets while opening Saturday for The Who at the sold-out Tweeter Center. ||Continue reading||

Originally published in New York Post
Hammerstein Ballroom, July 24, 2002
Concert review by Dan Aquilante

IF there was any doubt that Robert Plant has come to terms with the legacy of Led Zeppelin, look no further than his solo gig at the Hammerstein Ballroom Wednesday, where he channeled that old energy into new music. ||Continue reading||

Originally published on USA Today (online)
by Elysa Gardner

NEW YORK — Robert Plant is sitting on a bench in Central Park, enjoying a prime view of the landmark Plaza Hotel on Fifth Avenue. “I remember so many adventures from the days when Led Zeppelin used to stay there,” he says, sounding a bit wistful.

At 53, Robert Plant has calmed considerably. ||Continue reading||

Originally published in Milwaukee Journal Review
Eagles Ballroom, July 22, 2002
Concert review by Dave Tianen

If there’s any single musical value we would associate with Robert Plant, it would be power.

The kind of power that kicks you in the sternum, nails your skull to the wall and leaves your ears humming two hours after the show. The kind of power that leaves large, smoking holes in the earth. ||Continue reading||

Originally published in Calgary Sun

by Mike Bell

It’s been almost a decade since Robert Plant’s last solo album, Fate of Nations, and, to be perfectly honest, he hasn’t really been missed except by the most true-blue Zep heads who got their nostalgia fix with the Page & Plant albums, anyway.

It’s surprising and welcoming that he should then choose to return to the solo route with a whisper, not a bang.

Dreamland is a wonderfully earthy album of bluesy roots songs that’s as subdued as his past efforts have been flamboyant.

The disc is simple and, at times, breathtakingly honest in its delivery, thanks to that scaled-back approach, a band that paints a remarkably textured backdrop, well-chosen songs — many of which are covers — and Plant’s vocals that wring every last drop of emotion and truth from the material.

From the charged, simple groove of The Youngbloods’ Darkness, Darkness and the menacing, unnerving and remarkably invigorating rendition of Hey Joe, to a world-weary and dreamy attempt at Dylan’s One More Cup of Coffee and, finally, his version of the Tim Buckley classic Song to the Siren, Plant puts his stamp on every track he touches.

It’s been a while, but Dreamland is an album that, for Zep heads and fans of roots and blues, should not be missed.

Originally published in the Boston Phoenix
by Sean Richardson

It’s no secret that current rock savior Jack White owes a debt to Robert Plant, the man who started all this heavy-metal blues screeching in the first place. So it’s a hell of a coincidence to hear Plant howling Bob Dylan’s “One More Cup of Coffee,” a song the White Stripes have been performing since their early days, on his first solo album in nine years. Unintentional as the gesture may be, it’s a fitting reverse tribute from one of rock’s most dignified elder statesmen.

Plant tackles an idiosyncratic jumble of blues, folk, and psych-rock standards on Dreamland, and even the handful of originals on the disc represents a huge step away from the commercial arena rock of his early solo career. He lets out a few of his legendary orgasmic moans on “Darkness, Darkness,” a loose, ambling meditation on the Youngbloods’ original. His versatile young band (featuring members of the Cure and Portishead) bring “Hey Joe” to a noisy climax that all but transforms the song into a modern-day “Dazed and Confused.” Tender readings of Tim Buckley’s “Song to the Siren” and Moby Grape’s “Skip’s Song” emphasize passion over artifice, and the slammin’ original “Red Dress” prompts another favorable White Stripes comparison. Plant may not be trying to keep up with the kids, but he’s doing a pretty good job of it all the same.

First published in This is Worcester Online

FORMER Led Zeppelin star Robert Plant has become the patron of Kidderminster College’s new independent record label. ||Continue reading||

Originally published in New York Post
By Dan Aquilante

AS the voice of Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant redefined the scope of rock music.

On “Dreamland,” his new solo record out Tuesday, he dusts off old rock songs for a contemporary audience.In a conversation with The Post from his home on the rolling hills on the Welsh border, the 54-year-old singer seemed a total gentleman - hardly what you’d expect from a guy who sowed acres of wild oats in his chaotic younger days in Led Zep. ||Continue reading||

Originally published in Classic Rock (UK)
Article by Mick Wall
Pictures by Stefan de Batselier

In a world-exclusive interview, Robert Plant talks to Classic Rock about his relationship with Jimmy Page, the future, if any, of Led Zeppelin, and a brand new solo album that features some globe-trotting covers, and his first original material for four years.

For a golden god, his arrival is surprisingly low key, strolling up the street in the frail, mid-morning sun towards Momo’s the Moroccan cafe in London with the handy basement bar that Robert has chosen as the venue for his meeting. Smiling, tanned, his face is upturned and inquisitive. He just got back from New York the night before and his eyes are still a little bloodshot, but everything else about him speaks of boundless energy. Of vibe. Dressed simply in T-shirt and jeans, a carry-bag slung over his shoulder, his body language is full of can-do enthusiasm and right-on positivity. ||Continue reading||

Originally appeared on playboy.com — July, 2002
By Blair R. Fischer

When Rolling Stone originally ran its scathing review of Led Zeppelin’s 1969 eponymous debut, the magazine fired the initial salvo in a 20-plus-year war between the media and Zep. Rolling Stone essentially called the British band a pale imitation of the Jeff Beck Group, an act whose frontman had played alongside Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page in the Yardbirds. Today, Led Zeppelin is considered the apex among all blues-based rock albums, and more than 30 years after the fact, Zeppelin enemy Rolling Stone amended its initial betrayal to call the album a “triumph.” ||Continue reading||