review of "Zooma"
from The Stereo Times/Audio Cafe
Sept. 24, 1999

It's not all that unusual that John Paul Jones has taken nearly two decades to record a proper solo album. As half of the thunderously perfect rhythm section from Led Zeppelin, Jones has a formidable recorded legacy to overcome. But oddly enough, of the surviving Zeppeliners, only Jones was really working on his resume. While Robert Plant was becoming a worldwide superstar (again) and revisiting his teenage days with the Honeydrippers, and Jimmy Page was busy looking either besotted or bemused or bored with a succession of mildly interesting projects, Jones was accruing some fascinating and unexpected production credits, scoring indie art films, and even collaborating with archly weird performance artist Diamanda Galas. With all of that finally out of the way, Jones can see his way clear to put his name on an album 20 years after the demise of his most famous musical vehicle.

The first thing that jumps off of "ZOOMA" is the rumbling roar of Jones' bass. There was very little of that during the Zeppelin regime, as Jones and John Bonham often performed double duties beyond providing the bottom for Jimmy Page. Freed from the responsibility of having to make Jimmy Page look good, Jones can at last cut loose and really bust up the joint. The all-instrumental album never falls into the trap of becoming redundant, even when the melody gets looped a few times, as on the rolling thunder groove of "Grind." There are more than a few Zep reference points along the way ("Bass n' Drum," "B. Fingers"), but Jones is smart enough to keep them from being too obvious or cloying. And his choice of guitarists is spot on, particularly the sinewy and textural Trey Gunn.

But Jones is quite definitely the star here. His work on 10- and 12-string bass is incredibly nimble and fresh, and his chemistry with Attractions' drummer Pete Thomas is almost as powerful as his bond with the late Bonham. But on "ZOOMA" the trick is to get the bottom to the top without making it seem awkward or unnatural. John Paul Jones has been a master at getting out of the way of a superstar guitarist for a long time. Now that he has stepped to the front of the stage, he seems to be taking to the role quite nicely.