Originally appeared in New York Newsday
BY AMY PHILLIPS freelance writer.

Review of June 26 show at the Beacon, NYC
Sunday and Monday at the Beacon Theatre. Seen Sunday.

Robert Plant once embodied everything that is sexy and dangerous about rock and roll. The Led Zeppelin vocalist’s feral howls and slithering hips summoned demons from the netherworld and teenage girls from their bedrooms; his offstage hedonism was as legendary as his band’s primordial blues-rock stomp. ||Continue reading||

Originally published in New York Daily News
by Jim Farber

The “Live 8″ concert - Bob Geldof’s all-star pile-on which doubles as a 20th anniversary party for “Live Aid” - won’t take place until next month.

But the event already has a soundtrack. Robert Plant’s latest album (to be showcased tonight and tomorrow in performances at the Beacon) presents the perfect “Live 8″-style handshake between the rich nations of the west and poor ones spanning lower Africa and the Sahara. ||Continue reading||

Originally published in Clash magazine (UK)

After the success of 2002’s cover project, “Dreamland,” Robert and his band have taken the African ingredients that flavoured it so ravishingly and created a brand new recipe all of their own. Their compelling amalgamation of those foreign qualities with the familiar rock ‘n’ blues howl of those well versed in the ways of a guitar makes for a thrilling trip. Effortlessly contrasting the riotous Zepisms of “Freedom Fries” with the delicate acoustic beauty of “All the King’s Horses,” Plant proves that time hasn’t diminished his ability to excite. The impressive skills of guitarist Justin Adams dominates most tracks, his intuitive playing is full of eastern promise. His tasty blues licks carry the title track while Robert lets his lungs explode like only he can towards an electrifying climax. “Mighty Rearranger” is testimony to Plant’s enduring talent; it’s fresh, exhilarating and unquestionably mighty

Orignally Published in Times Dispatch
Review of appearance a Borgata Casino, New Jersey, June 19, 2005
by MELISSA RUGGIERI MUSIC CRITIC

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. The term “legend” gets tossed around a lot, but it’s usually a gross overstatement. Sting and Bono? Major superstars, but not quite legendary. Springsteen and Elton John? Getting dangerously warm. Paul McCartney and Robert Plant? Now we have a winner — or two. ||Continue reading||

Originally published on jambase.com
by Dennis Cook

Not so much a return to form as a full-blown reawakening. The muses that inspired his decade-plus run of brilliance with Led Zeppelin appear to be sitting on Robert Plant’s shoulder again. Like many, I was ready to write off the be-curled golden god, but the proof of his vibrancy is here song after song. ||Continue reading||

Originally published in Afropop Worldwide
by Banning Eyre

Robert Plant stands apart from other pop and rock icons who seem to have reinvented themselves years later with world music overtones. Partly, that’s because there really has been no reinvention here. From the earliest days of Led Zeppelin, Plant sensed a connection between the roots blues he grew up loving and the desert music of north and west Africa, and that awareness was always there, lurking just beyond the obvious, a distinct ingredient in Zeppelin’s mystic magic. Now, when Plant’s band The Strange Sensation rock out on a Songhai takamba rhythm, the connection is more obvious, but perfectly continuous with the past–on the one hand, a fresh take on African desert groove music meets good ol’ rock ‘n roll, and on the other hand, the Robert Plant we’ve always known, just being himself.  ||Continue reading||

Originally Published in Boston Globe
Review of Bank of America Pavilion show, Boston, MA–June 17, 2005
By James Parker, Globe Correspondent

On one level, Robert Plant’s performance Friday night at the Bank of America Pavilion amounted to a monster tease. If you were a Led Zeppelin fan — which, going by their T-shirts, tattoos, and jacket insignia, most of the audience members were — it was a night of piquant, almost erotic postponements, as the former Zeppelin frontman and his band the Strange Sensation trailed familiar riffs and phrases past the pleasure centers without ever landing squarely on a song from the glory days. ||Continue reading||

From stuff.co.nz
by Grant Smithies

Robert Plant spends his days trying to avoid what’s expected of him. And it’s resulted in his best work in 30 years. ||Continue reading||

From the Boston Herald
Review of June 17, 2005 show at the Bank of America Pavilion, Boston MA
By Bill Brotherton

“Gee, dad, I hope he sings a lot of Zeppelin stuff,” said a teenage boy filing into the Bank of America Pavilion last night.

Not to worry, junior. Robert Plant always sings a fair share of Led Zeppelin tunes. How could he not? And that’s the conundrum Plant’s faced since his beloved band broke up decades ago. He has a new record to promote, but most of his fans want to hear the old stuff. ||Continue reading||

From the Providence Journal
Review of June 15, 2005 show at Providence Performing Arts Center, Rhode Island
BY RICK MASSIMO Journal Pop Music Writer

PROVIDENCE — Of all the rock dinosaurs still roaming the musical plains, Robert Plant has always been the keenest about listening to and putting out new music. And last night at the Providence Performing Arts Center, Plant and his latest backup band, The Strange Sensation, kept the show, the first of their American tour, in the present tense. ||Continue reading||