For his debut solo album, {$Robert Plant} doesn't exactly succumb to everyone's expectations. With a less-potent vocal style, {$Plant} manages to carry out most of the songs in smooth, stylish fashion while rocking out rather convincingly on a couple of others. He gets some pretty good help from guitarist {$Robbie Blunt}, who truly comes to life on {&"Worse Than Detroit,"} and both {$Phil Collins} and {$Cozy Powell} give {$Plant} enough of a solid background to lean his sultry yet surging {\rock} voice against. {$Plant} channels his energy quite effectively through songs like {&"Pledge Pin"} and {&"Moonlight in Samosa,"} while the single {&"Burning Down One Side"} is a creditable one, even though it failed to crack the Top 50 in both the U.K. and the U.S. The most apparent characteristic about the album's eight tracks is the fact that {$Plant} is able to escape most of his past and still sound motivated. Without depending too much on his {$Led Zeppelin} days, he courses a new direction without changing or disguising his distinct vocal style whatsoever. {^Pictures at Eleven} peaked within the Top Five on both sides of the Atlantic, successfully launching {$Plant}'s solo career. ~ Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide