It might seem like an odd choice to cover a Led Zeppelin song from the bands second biggest selling album of all time, but rendered back into a minimal bar-room blues solo affair it does remind us of just how much that iconic band made a name for themselves by, if not plagiarising the old blues masters, at least channeling them. And this song in particular is very much based on a traditional gospel song already a favourite of folk revivalists and New York coffee-shop troubadours.
Vic Richardson renders a faithful and authentic pre-electric sound which echoes with the ghosts of a by gone age and returns the song to its rightful home through stripping it back to its bare necessities and letting space, anticipation and emotion do the rest. Sometimes you don’t need to bring much to the musical table, a song with this much history and tradition already drips with resonance and atmosphere, all you have to do is give it the freedom to take flight.