Mighty Rearranger

My cousin sent me this disc a while back. I listened to it a few times. I liked it quite a lot, actually. I meant to post about it. I grew distracted and did not write the post. I recently read that a remastered edition of this CD was released on March 20, 2007. Why would a CD recorded in 2004 and released in 2005 possibly need to be remastered? I have no idea. But, I figured I'd better attempt to rectify my oversight in failing to post on the un-remastered original, now that it is (apparently) totally obsolete:

First of all, let me say that Plant's vocals are impressive. Many times they are impressive for the restraint practiced. I.e. he seems able to hit all the same notes he always did, but he doesn't feel the "need" to go over the top all the time.

"Another Tribe" is the opener, and it has a cool mix of acoustic guitar, strings, and some backwards-masked sounds. It's the Physical Graffiti vibe updated 20 years. Very cool.

"Shine It All Around" begins with some more bacwards-masked sounding stuff and a sledgehammer drumbeat that recalls "When the Levee Breaks" (for me, at least). I'll go ahead and name this the best made-to-be-a-single of Plant's post-Zep career.

"Freedom Fries" has a little "Hots on for Nowhere" (from Presence, for you casual Zep fans) electric guitar line, to my ears. Again, the updated sound, with varied influences, sounds great. And the title is cool, immortalizing what just might be the most inane term to be defined by Bush's Iraq War.

"Tin Pan Valley" just about lulls you to sleep in between its violent explosions. Cool track. "All the King's Horses" has "Going to California" oozing from its every pore, and DAMN it's great! Holy shit! For my money, this is a prefect illustration of what's so cool about this album: Plant reacquaints himself with his Led Zeppelin roots, while still adorning songs with the various other influences he's absorbed during his solo career.

"The Enchanter" has a cool, plodding fuzziness to it. At the 4-minute mark of this song, if you jump ship, then OK, I guess. But, if you're like me, and still listening with rapt attention, then you'll know this album has got you in its unrelenting grasp.

I'll stop the song-by-song review there, for now at least. As for the new remastered version, hmmmmm, I might just have to check it out.