Robert Plant’s Saving Grace Debuts at No. 2 on Multiple U.K. Charts

Following his time in Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant went on to create some of the best work of his career, though much of what he’s produced in the decades since the band split doesn’t sound much like the style that first brought him to superstardom. His solo career has not been quite as fruitful as the group’s tenure, but no less impressive when examining his music creatively and critically.

Plant’s new album Saving Grace brings him back to the charts in the United Kingdom, where he will always be regarded as a rock god, no matter what genre he’s working within at the moment. The set, a collaborative project – though one might not realize that by looking at the weekly rankings – almost sends the legendary figure back to the top spot on a number of tallies, but one of the hottest new names in pop narrowly manages to beat Plant.

Robert Plant’s New Album Misses No. 1 by One Spot

Saving Grace launches at No. 2 on three tallies across the Atlantic: the Official Album Sales, Official Physical Albums, and Official Vinyl Albums charts. In each case, Plant misses the summit by a hair, as he is held back by Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving. That set debuts at No. 1 and gives the rising British star her first leader in the country.

Robert Plant Hits a Career High

The former Led Zeppelin star rises to a new career-best position on the Official Album Sales chart, as Saving Grace peaks at No. 2. His first win on that list came to him back in October 2017 with Carry Fire, which climbed as high as No. 3.

Robert Plant Ties His Vinyl Albums Chart Peak

On the Official Vinyl Albums chart, Saving Grace ties Plant’s all-time loftiest placement of No. 2. Carry Fire previously reached the same spot, and it marked the first near-miss for the rock legend.

Robert Plant’s Long List of No. 2-Peaking Albums Grows

On the Official Physical Albums chart, Saving Grace joins a group of Plant releases that have peaked at No. 2. His collaboration with Alison Krauss, Raising Sand, remains his only chart-topper on that list, while both Carry Fire and Lullaby and… The Ceaseless Roar also came close to ruling, but failed to do so by just one rung.

Saving Grace Enters the Top 10 on Multiple Charts

Plant’s project also performs well on both the Official Albums and Official Album Downloads charts. On the all-consumption albums list — the U.K.’s main ranking of the most popular full-lengths and EPs — Saving Grace opens at No. 4. Over on the Official Album Downloads chart, the title starts at No. 5, giving the rocker five new top 10 placements in one frame.

Robert Plant Hits New Milestones with Saving Grace

With Saving Grace, Plant adds another round of top 10s to his list of commercial accomplishments under his own name. The set becomes his third top 10 on the Official Album Sales chart, his fourth on the Official Vinyl Albums ranking, his sixth on the Official Album Downloads list, and his eighth on the Official Physical Albums roster.

The Official Albums chart remains the only ranking where Plant has collected double-digit top 10s. As Saving Grace arrives, he ups his count to an even dozen appearances between Nos. 1 and 10. These totals account for his solo and collaborative work, but not his output with Led Zeppelin.

Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin Share Chart Space in the U.K.

Plant appears twice this week on both the Official Album Sales and Official Physical Albums charts – once on his own, and again with the group that made him famous. Live, a recently-released EP from Led Zeppelin, is still hanging on after a strong start less than a month ago. The set debuted at No. 5 on both tallies three weeks back, and now drops more than 20 spaces, falling outside the top 40 for the first time.

Inside Robert Plant’s New Album Saving Grace

On the U.K. charts, Saving Grace is credited solely to the lead star, though elsewhere it’s listed as Robert Plant with Suzi Dian. The project features 10 cover versions of songs originally performed by other artists, spanning nearly a century of music, from the gospel blues of Blind Willie Johnson to modern alt-folk from American band The Low Anthem.