Review Summary: After years of featuring each other albums, a little irking and a live record, Page and Plant finally recorded a studio album in 1998.
In 1994, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page were invited to do a live album in the MTV series "UnLedded". Even though they could've only played Led Zeppelin's classics, they wrote 3 more songs just for it. And, they liked to do it so much that they went on tour and decided to do a whole studio album with new material. After four years they would release "Walking Into Clarksdale", the last Page-Plant collaborations as well last studio album Jimmy recorded to date.
But, when you were a member of a huge band such as Led Zeppelin, and then work again with another ex-member of the band, people will always expect a album of the same quality of the band's older work, wich is a hard thing to achieve. And, unfortunately, as much as "Walking Into Clarksdale" have some relly good tracks, it doesn't stand in the same level of Led Zeppelin, frustating some fans that wanted a new Zeppelin album.
The album, although, still have a some amazing tracks. "Please Read the Letter" is a very good folk number that would've fit well in "Led Zeppelin III". "Burning Up" is the most heavy song here, with some relly good riffs be Page, "Shinning in the Light" is a great energetic opener and "Walking Into Clarksdale" have also some well written riffs and great atmosphere. And, if you're wondering if any song here at least comes close to old Zeppelin epics such as "When the Levee Breaks" or "Kashmir", "Most High" does it. It has that Mideastern fell all over it.
Then whats wrong? While half of the album is great and have deep music, the other one feels rushed and boring, like it was written weaks before the release. "Sons of Freedom" starts with a promising intro, but Robert's vocals almost ruin it. "Heart In Your Hand" have a nice melody, but it never takes of, such as the similar "When the World Was Young" wich even not being great it get more enthusiastic in the end. The same can be said about "Blue Train". "House of Love" has a riff too similar to "Most High", ant it isin't near as good.
All in all, even with it's problems it is still a must-hear to any real fan of Led Zeppelin, and gives an ideo of how the band would've carry on in they hadn't broke up.
Final score : 3,5
Recommended Tracks:
Most High
Walking Into Clarksdale
Shinning in the Light
When I was a Child
Burning Up
