As much as it bothers me to be so safe, Plant and the band really nail the two covers of Low songs, "Silver Rider"**** and "Monkey"**** with just the right subtlety and gravity. After the success of Raising Sand, another trend seems to be Plant's love of bass-y sounds, such as the oscillating low rumbling in the festive "Angel Dance", kin to Paul McCartney's recent hit "Dance Around". This aesthetic also turn up on "Even This Shall Pass Away" and what must be Buddy Miller's baritone guitar that shows up on "You Can't Buy My Love" and "House Of Cards". "Central Two-O-Nine", "Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down", and "Cindy I'll Marry You Someday" are drone-y bluegrass folk, while "House Of Cards" and "Harm's Swift Way" are like hard country - the volume isn't cranked, but the sound is deliberately tweedy, the guitars low and ballsy. "The Only Sound That Matters" **** is the most obviously melodious and singable of the country songs and is just released at the wrong time to be a hit.
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