I'm a big solo Plant fan. The only album I never warmed to was Shaken 'n Stirred. I actually was REALLY into Now and Zen when it came out; I love the song "Walking Towards Paradise", and I was dating a girl named Jennifer at the time, so "Billy's Revenge" was a cute song (and to be clear, I'm not entirely sure of the meaning, other than it seems they survive heartbreak; we didn't). The only problem is, after Manic Nirvana, N&Z SOUNDS very thin. It's very much an album of the day in terms of sounds.
I couldn't possibly recommend the recent solo albums - starting with Dreamland - any more than I do. I even think I like it more than a lot of Zeppelin. He's really making art at this point.