Jimmy Page Walking Into Clarksdale CD

Personnel: Robert Plant (vocals); Jimmy Page (guitar); Charlie Jones (bass); Michael Lee (drums).
Additional personnel includes: Tim Whelan (keyboards); Ed Shearmur (programming).
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, England.
"Most High" won the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.
For all of the acclaim it received, there's no denying that No Quarter was a tentative reunion for Page & Plant, containing only a handful of new songs that were scattered among many reworked old favorites. Since its supporting tour went well, the duo decided to make their reunion permanent, setting to work on an album of entirely new material. Taking the world music dabblings of No Quarter as a cue, Page & Plant tempered their eclecticism with a healthy dose of their monolithic guitar army, hiring Steve Albini, the indie rock producer notorious for his harsh, brutal recordings, to helm the boards. In other words, it sounds perfect on paper -- groundbreaking veteran artists still taking chances and working with younger collaborators who would challenge them. If only Walking Into Clarksdale actually played that way. It's certainly possible to hear where the duo was intending to go, since the circular melodies, Mideastern drones, sawing strings, drum loops, and sledgehammer riffs all add up to an effective update and progression of the classic Zeppelin sound. The problem is, the new sound doesn't go anywhere. There's potential in this metallic worldbeat rock, but only a few cuts, such as the stately "Most High" and the shimmering "Shining in the Light," realize it. Much of the album disappears under its own mass, since their are no well-written songs, catchy riffs, or memorable melodies to support the sound. And that's what makes Walking Into Clarksdale so frustrating -- you can hear the potential, and even enjoy the album on the musical surface, but there's nothing to make you return to the album once it's finished. And that ultimately means that the album simply reiterates the promise of the reunited Page & Plant instead of fulfilling it. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Don't call it a come back, they've been here for years. Eighteen years after the death of John Bonham broke up Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant, the man who launched a thousand David Coverdales, and guitar wizard Jimmy Page have reunited for WALKING INTO CLARKSDALE, their first studio album together since 1979's IN THROUGH THE OUTDOOR. But unlike most "supergroup" reunions, they never said never.
Beginning with "Shining In The Light," Page's familiar acoustic guitar takes us back to Led Zeppelin circa PRESENCE. Page's trademark axe work and loud-soft-loud dynamics are all over this CD. But even though all the old Zeppelin elements are there, the duo aren't just reliving old glories. Bassist Charlie Jones and drummer Michael Lee as well as alternative rock uber-producer Steve Albini help keep these old gents current. And where Plant may not be able to wail like a castrated muezzin anymore, his singular voice still sounds as fresh as ever on the rockin' "Sons Of Freedom," the bluesy "Walking Into Clarksdale" and atmospheric "Heart In Your Hand."Entertainment Weekly (4/24/98, p.78) - "...Plant's Moroccan-blues swagger and Page's unmistakable, scruffy guitar touch come together beautifully. This song set sounds both vintage and, thanks to the lingering Zep craze, of the moment." - Rating: A-