ALBUM OF THE WEEK

Unlike 2007’s Raising Sand, the glorious country-folk LP he made with Alison Krauss, Robert Plant’s Lullaby And... The Ceaseless Roar (2014) had to settle for silver. Thankfully, the Led Zeppelin legend is back on form with Carry Fire – which fulfils its promise instantly with three tracks powered by blazing riffs. With a song called The May Queen it’s hard to tell if it’s old or new – in a good way. Plant’s co-writers are his backing band, the Sensational Space Shifters, who create a wall of sound that builds and retracts to reveal a gleaming solo. The lyrics are mostly hippie tablets of stone but Carving Up The World Again oozes contempt for politicians aspiring to be tin-pot dictators. Who can he possibly have in mind? The lone cover is Bluebirds Over The Mountain, a duet with Chrissie Hynde at her smouldering best. They should make an album together.

Tim De Lisle