New Music from an Odd Couple

Just because I haven’t been writing about music lately doesn’t mean I haven’t been listening to it, and I’ve stumbled across two new songs that I’m pretty much addicted to in big ways. (Perhaps “stumble” isn’t the right verb, because the first one just sort of trickled out, while the second one has more or less been slammed in my face.) (Also, I’m aware that, technically, these two songs and artists are unconnected, but I couldn’t resist the obvious reference to Gnarls Barkley.)

Anyway, I digress.

Robert Plant – ‘Angel Dance’

Robert Plant is one of those guys who’s just able to continue to put out consistently good music as he gets older, yet nobody really notices it. Mighty Rearranger is one of those criminally underrated albums that you always hear about and think, “Ahh yes, I should get it,” but you never do. (If you don’t have it, you should get it. Now. I’ll wait.) Raising Sand was a terrific album, but a little subdued in places, so it’s good to hear that Plant is back to some more upbeat stuff (comparatively) with Band Of Joy, due for release on September 13th. ‘Angel Dance’, written by David Hidalgo and first recorded by Los Lobos in 1990, continues where Mighty Rearranger left off: plenty of exotic instruments, a vaguely Middle Eastern sound, and a strong vocal performance that will probably go unnoticed by all but the hardcore Led Zeppelin fans. Considering last year’s Them Crooked Vultures, with former bassist John Paul Jones, proudly carries on the sturm und drang of the glory days of Led Zep, Plant is free to do what comes naturally to him, and if ‘Angel Dance’ is any indicator of the quality of Band Of Joy, then we’re in for a treat.

Cee-Lo – ‘Fuck You!’

I’ve known of Cee-Lo for years, having gotten two of his albums – …And His Perfect Imperfections and …Is The Soul Machine – from my dad, of all people, but I never had a chance to listen to them. So when ‘Fuck You!’ became one of those videos that was shared from friend to friend on Facebook walls, I just had to listen, expecting it to be an expletive-laden hardcore rap song. Instead I got a soulful R&B performance, with clattering drums and a playful bass, and was hooked – so much so that the October 4th release of The Ladykiller seems way too far off. I’ll probably end up being a bandwagon appreciator of his music, in that this massively catchy and visceral send-off to a former lover will cause me to really listen to his music, but I’m alright with that. There’s no shame in being introduced to someone’s music by way of a catchy single, and while Cee-Lo fans might look down their nose at me, well, I have two words for them…