Review: Beth Hart ‘A Tribute To Led Zeppelin’

Photo: Beth Hart by Roxanne de Roode

By Martine Ehrenclou

Grammy nominated vocal powerhouse Beth Hart takes on one of her most weighty ventures with her new release, A Tribute To Led Zeppelin, out February 25 via Provogue/Mascot Label Group. Hart doesn’t attempt to channel Robert Plant—she conveys her badass self in service to some of Led Zeppelin’s most popular songs.

The record came to fruition when producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance) was in the midst of producing Hart’s last album, War In My Mind (2019) when she spontaneously sang a version of “Whole Lotta Love” in the recording session. Cavallo later asked Hart about doing a whole record. Beth said, “I’m not doing this whole album. To do Zeppelin, you’ve got to be pissed off to hit that right. I can’t go there; I’ve worked years to put my rage away.” Hart tapped into enough anger as a result of the pandemic and contacted her manager. She said, “Have Rob and Doug send me all the music because I am ready to do this.”

If there is any female vocalist who can do a nine-song set of Led Zeppelin, it is Beth Hart. It takes courage to tackle one of the most legendary bands of all time, and Beth has more than her fair share. Which is in part why so many love her. She bares her all and nails many of these tracks with the heart of a warrior, the voice of a generation.

At the helm of A Tribute To Led Zeppelin is producer Rob Cavallo and engineer Doug McKean (Goo Goo Dolls, Adam Lambert, Gerard Way). The top-tier musicians include Cavallo on guitar along with Tim Pierce (Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner), bassist Chris Chaney (Rob Zombie, Jane’s Addiction, Slash), keyboardist Jamie Muhoberac (Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Rolling Stones), drummer Dorian Crozier (Celine Dion, Miley Cyrus, Joe Cocker) and Matt Laug (Alanis Morissette, Alice Cooper), with orchestral arrangements by David Campbell (Muse, Aerosmith, Beyoncé).

The album blasts off with “Whole Lotta Love” and it’s Beth’s spotlight from the first note. This mighty vocalist brings attitude with a capital A to the song. Powerful and guttural, she wrangles this track in a way you might expect. For Zeppelin fans, the orchestration might take some getting used to but it’s an honest take on a ground-breaking song. The psychedelia takes on even darker shadows than the original with the use of strings. Killer drumming and bass anchor this song in the way it was intended. Beth is on the edge here, so much so as to make the hair on your arms stand on end.

The arrangements are fairly faithful to the originals with the exception of a lack of guitar presence. The goal was to feature Beth Hart as the passionate vocalist that she is, and A Tribute To Led Zeppelin raises her to an all new level with full throttle vocals. On “Stairway to Heaven” Hart gives it a haunting spin with her unmistakable vibrato.

Album standout, “The Crunge,” is a funky, rocking Zep track with Beth front and center, fiery, edgy, her vocals spirited.

“Good Times/Bad Times” and “Black Dog” are equally stirring with Hart’s emotive singing and spot-on phrasing. The musicians on the record are all A-list players, so you’ll hear superb musicianship. It’s a challenge to create a cover album with songs from one of the most revered and iconic bands in blues/rock but A Tribute To Led Zeppelin may attract a new generation of listeners to Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones. It will certainly recruit new fans for Beth Hart.

Listen to “Black Dog”

Pre-order link for A Tribute To Led Zeppelin 

Beth Hart website