A Pleasant Pairing

When I think of Robert Plant, I think of his vocal power as part of Led Zeppelin.  I hear the softness of “Stairway to Heaven”.  I hear sleazy blues of “The Lemon Song”.  I hear peacefulness from “Going to California”.  He has written some of the most famous rock and roll songs ever recorded, and his place in music history has been well established.

When I think of Alison Krauss, I hear her angelic voice.  Her most famous recordings have been with the bluegrass outfit Union Station, with whom she has recorded five well received albums.  She has helped propel bluegrass music into the 21^st century through her recordings with Union Station and on soundtracks such as for O Brother, Where Art Thou?  Her part of country and bluegrass music, like Plant’s in rock and roll, has been well established.

Their two worlds collided recently in the album Raising Sand (2007).  As far as the motivation for even pairing the two, that question would have to be posed to famous producer T-Bone Burnett.  According to what I have read online, he was the brains behind the project; whether or not he knew it would be as successful as it was, I doubt he did, but you have to give him credit for forward thinking.

#88 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Raising Sand (Metascore = 87)

The genius of this record is in the drawing powers of Plant and Krauss.  Both are coming from two different genres of music with their own strong supporting fans.  Plant has indicated in the past a strong interest in traditional folk and blues music, and some of his Led Zeppelin and solo material has reflected this interest.  While Krauss has never really been associated with rock and roll music in general, she has covered rock and roll compositions during her career, including a version of Bad Company’s “Oh Atlanta” and the Beatles “I Will”.  Burnett’s interest in pairing the two must have partially been driven by the reputation each singer’s voice has had over the years; both are considered to have “voices from the heavens,” or something to that effect.

From the opening track “Rich Woman” to its finale, “Your Long Journey”, Burnett conducts this mostly country music outfit through an eclectic blend of folk, country, blues, and world music tracks to compliment the beautiful harmonies of Plant and Krauss.  The singers trade off singing the lead while the other provides harmonies.  The attractive blend of music with vocals is what makes this a particularly strong record.

At times the songs can drag along.  I’m not particularly fond of “Killing the Blues” or “Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us”, yet I cannot deny the beauty of the vocals.  This is not a fast-paced record, though, so when you are listening to the record, give the songs a chance to grow in you.  Songs like “Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)” jive like the records from the 1950’s (e.g. the Everly Brothers), so there are some bouncy songs on here.  Best songs (to me) on this record are “Rich Woman”, “Gone Gone Gone”, “Please Read the Letter”, “Stick with Me Baby”, and “Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson”.

My overall impressions of this album are positive.  I will admit being attracted to this project by the players involved, and both Plant and Krauss deliver.  Burnett’s band also does a tremendous job at supporting the two vocalists.  I believe the record is deserving of being on the list but maybe a notch lower.  There are some records that were scored lower that I think are better (Bitte Orca immediately comes to mind).  Overall, though, I would recommend this record.