Inspiring heavy metal, coming up with the Top Of The Pops theme tune and owning that instantly recognisable wail are why Robert Plant is a legend, although much of this came from standing out front at the giddy heights of Led Zeppelin.

In the 25 years since that behemoth crashed to earth, Plant's solo outings have been a rollercoaster ride.

He has flirted with African rhythms and his beloved blues, Eastern music, folk and even dance beats, without ever truly bringing those ideas together.

That's why it is a surprise to find that Mighty Rearranger is one of the best records of his career, including those written and performed with Messrs Page, Jones and Bonham.

He has finally got all his ingredients in the right measures and boldly thrown them into the blender with fantastic results.

In The Strange Sensation, the eclectic combination of a world music specialist, a former Cast guitarist and a pair of Bristol-beat trip-hoppers, coupled with Plant's voice ageing wonderfully - punctuating subtle nuances where he would have previously steamrollered a yowl - means the resurrection he began with Dreamland has exploded into a Technicolor dream.

Mighty Rearranger takes a suitably spiritual journey, from the hypnotic, chilled out Shine It All Around to the Zep-esque rock-out of Tin Pan Valley (with scathing taunts to the Jaggers and Osbournes) and the mystical The Enchanter.

It spins with the acoustic beauty of All The Kings Horses, rolls across the intricate Marrakech rhythms of the brilliant Takamba and ends with the beguiling Brother Ray, a delta blues work-out born of the Nile rather than the Mississippi. Plant has pushed the boundaries with Mighty Rearranger and is still at the top of his game.

Updated: 09:10 Thursday, April 28, 2005