In rock music, it’s difficult to age gracefully. Instead of continuing to pursue artistic fulfillment as they age, many musicians are content to think about solely their financial account. Robert Plant, a former frontman for Led Zeppelin, is an exception, though. He still has a burning desire to create when he wakes up in the morning.

After Led Zeppelin’s 2007 one-time reunion at the O2 Arena, Plant was effectively given the go-ahead to rejoin the band full-time for a global tour. No amount of money could have convinced Plant that it was a good idea, even though Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were ready to go on the road. He felt flat and dejected after the concert, and even with the financial incentives, he didn’t want to experience that feeling every night.

Plant’s worst nightmare is the thought of doing a residency in a lifeless casino in Las Vegas. He enjoys performing solo, even if his current style is more suited for small theaters than arenas. Even though Plant is no longer making hits, he is still creating music that reflects his aging style. He will always be most remembered as the vocalist of Led Zeppelin, but he has released a lot more albums since the band’s dissolution in 1980 than he did when he was a member.

Plant has frequently discussed his disconnection from the band’s recent material over the years. The singer rejected his contribution to “Stairway To Heaven” in an interview with UCR for their “Nights” radio program. He clarified, saying: “The song’s actual musical composition is excellent. It’s one of those songs that truly stands alone without a vocal, and since it’s such a good song, I’m confident it will stand alone once again. I can’t relate to it lyrically now since it happened so long ago. I would never again intend to write in such an abstract manner.

Plant’s continued collaboration with Alison Krauss is a clear sign of his development as a musician. It should come as no surprise that his greatest accomplishment in his post-Zeppelin canon is their collaboration. The singer mentioned the 2007 duet “Your Long Journey” as one of the eight songs he would like to have with him on a desert island when he appeared on the BBC radio program Desert Island Discs. Plant considers the tune to be “really beautiful,” as evidenced by the fact that it was the sole song he chose from his whole recording career.

In an interview with The Guardian in 2017, Plant also listed the song, which was originally performed by Doc Watson, as one of his career favorites. Notably, it was among the first songs that Plant recorded with Krauss, with whom he sang for the first time at a Lead Belly tribute show in Cleveland in 2004. The performance was immediately enthralling.

“I picked this one over them all, because it’s killer beautiful,” he wrote in a comment on “Your Long Journey.” Additionally, it’s a song that perfectly captures his collaboration with Krauss, whom he “basically tutored.” “I was thinking: help, I’m a rock singer, no matter what I do,” Plant continued. “She’s a very precise singer who’s done more duets than you can shake a stick at.” Naturally, though, I’m not—I’m simply a person who sings songs.

The song represents Plant’s dramatic transition from rock to folk and bluegrass music, which is now his preferred home. In addition to being a much better fit for his voice than sultry Led Zeppelin songs like “Stairway to Heaven” or “Whole Lotta Love,” it also speaks to his soul.