Has there ever been an artist more willing to embrace the history of music more than Robert Plant?
When you look throughout his career, be it the work he did with Led Zeppelin or that which he has done as a solo artist, Robert Plant has always had an affinity for the history of music, where it comes from, the footprints it has left behind, and the vast ground it has covered in becoming what we know today.
When you listen to one of his songs, you don’t just get Plant’s interpretation, but the shadowed silhouettes of those who have helped the sound evolve to what you’re hearing in that moment. His newest single, ‘Chevrolet’, is no different.
Released as the opening track for his upcoming album, Saving Grace, Plant reimagines a reimagining on this simple yet incredibly sweet-sounding track. ‘Chevrolet’ is Plant and his band’s rendition of Donovan’s ‘Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)’ from 1965, which in itself is an adaptation of a 1930s Delta blues classic, ‘Can I Do It for You’, by Kansas Joe McCoy.
This song represents Plant digging further into American roots music. The song is simple, a persistent running guitar line, shuffling rhythm and sweet-sounding harmony, but it doesn’t need to be anything more complicated than that. Anything more than this would feel disingenuous, more like Plant was attempting to rewrite history as opposed to studying it. His voice is raspy, as delicate as the silence it breaks, but unwaveringly present in the only way that Plant’s vocals can be.
As someone who has not only made a career out of music but is also considered one of the best in the world within his chosen field, it is interesting to see Plant dedicate so much of his time towards better understanding the history and construction of music. If this new single is anything to go by, on his new album, we are going to hear Plant exploring the history of American roots music in a bid to faithfully recreate it and understand the rawness of it that appealed to so many.
That will come at the expense of the bells and whistles which Led Zeppelin fans hold so close to their heart, but that was evidently a sacrifice Plant was willing to make. This is music in its rawest form, completely laid bare, so the listener can pick apart every single expansion of a vocal chord and pluck of a guitar string.
Saving Grace is set for release on September 26th, and it promises to show Robert Plant in a brand new light as he continues on his journey of constant musical discovery. You can listen to his new single ‘Chevrolet’ below.