| Author |
 Topic Search  Topic Options
|
Peter 
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: January 31 2004
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 9669
|
 Posted: November 04 2007 at 21:25 |
 ^ Thanks for the response, pal -- I'm a major-league Ry Cooder fan, so we agree on that. 
*******************************************************************************************
One listen in, I think I'm really going to enjoy this album.
Raising Sand is mostly cover versions of old country standards and classics, written by atists such as Gene Clark, the Everly Brothers, and Townes van Zant.
There is one Plant/Page composition, a re-working of "Please Read the Letter" from the excellent P&P Walking Into Clarksdale album of a few years back. This version (at this early stage with the album) was interesting to me, but I actually found that it didn't work as well from the country treatment, as the country numbers did from the Plant treatment.
Plant's voice sounds great -- he never really has to scream in this format, and I find the high notes still ring true and clear. 
As I've known for some time, Krauss has a beautiful clear voice. She sings like an absolute southern angel, and harmonizes very nicely with Plant (they exchange the lead vocal chores on different tracks).
Who should buy this album? Well, DON'T buy it just because you're a hard-rocking Led Zep fan. If that's the case, you should hear it first. This is country/bluegrass music. It has an alt-country twist in some of the sparing, distorted electric guitar, but it's mostly acoustic bass, and fiddle (Krauss is a master on the fiddle), smaller drum kit, acoustic guitars, etc.
If one of your fave Zep tracks is "Tangerine," with its steel guitar, and country/folky feel, you may well like this, but caveat emptor ("buyer beware"): You should buy this disc primarily because you enjoy this kind of music, know and enjoy the work of Alison Krauss, and even know who T Bone Burnett is. (If his name doesn't appear on any albums in your collection, you might safely give Raising Sand a miss.)
But I quite like it so far! 
Edited by Peter - November 04 2007 at 22:02
|
|
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
|
 |
Nightfly
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: August 01 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 3659
|
Posted: November 05 2007 at 04:58 |
Peter, you mention The Jayhawks. Hollywood Town Hall may just be my favourite album in the Americana genre.
|
|
Peter
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: January 31 2004
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 9669
|
Posted: November 08 2007 at 19:44 |
 Nightfly wrote:
Peter, you mention The Jayhawks. Hollywood Town Hall may just be my favourite album in the Americana genre. |
Hmmm.. sounds good. I'll have to pick it up. I only have ther "Rainy Day Music," which I really like. Do you have that one?
Ever hear Golden Smog ("supergroup" with members of Wilco, Jayhawks, etc.)?
*******************************************************************************************
Back to the Plant & Krauss, I've listened to it several times now, and I think it's a terrific CD, that well merits all the high critical praise it's garnering. (Another of the songwriters covered is Tom Waits, BTW.)
I said it was bluegrass, but despite Krauss being mainly associated with bluegrass, it's really more "alt" country. A very classy effort -- by turns uplifting, sadly beautiful, moving, and fun. I love it! 
Again though, Raising Sand likely WON'T suit the average Led Zep fan -- those folks should listen before buying! 
|
|
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
|
|
Nightfly
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: August 01 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 3659
|
Posted: November 10 2007 at 18:59 |
Peter wrote:
Nightfly wrote:
Peter, you mention The Jayhawks. Hollywood Town Hall may just be my favourite album in the Americana genre. |
Hmmm.. sounds good. I'll have to pick it up. I only have ther "Rainy Day Music," which I really like. Do you have that one?
Ever hear Golden Smog ("supergroup" with members of Wilco, Jayhawks, etc.)? |
Yes I have Rainy Day Music and it's a great album but not as good as Hollywood Town Hall or the follow up Tommorow The Green Grass IMO. You should enjoy both of these as RDM was heralded as a return to the older style Jayhawks.
I also have 2 Golden Smog albums, Down by the Old Mainstream and Weird Tales which are both pretty good. I think they released another this year but I haven't heard it.
|
|
Peter
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: January 31 2004
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 9669
|
Posted: November 22 2007 at 22:44 |
Nightfly wrote:
[
Yes I have Rainy Day Music and it's a great album but not as good as Hollywood Town Hall or the follow up Tommorow The Green Grass IMO. You should enjoy both of these as RDM was heralded as a return to the older style Jayhawks.
I also have 2 Golden Smog albums, Down by the Old Mainstream and Weird Tales which are both pretty good. I think they released another this year but I haven't heard it. |
Thanks for the recommendations, Nightfly -- I'll be checking out those Jayhawks albums ASAP.
Back to the original topic, I'm still loving the Plant & Krauss. My wife plays it a lot as well. It's terrific stuff, for us -- a polished gem of a "couple's" album.
|
|
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
|
|
Era V.
Forum Groupie
Joined: November 17 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 97
|
Posted: November 23 2007 at 08:01 |
Aye...sorry for the second thread about it, must remember to use search function!
It is a beautiful album though, draws a really great swathe of influence from both their recent careers and mixing them perfectly, from sublime to quirky and a whole hotch-potch of unusual instrumentation.
|
|
Peter
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: January 31 2004
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 9669
|
Posted: November 23 2007 at 08:54 |
Era V. wrote:
Aye...sorry for the second thread about it, must remember to use search function!
It is a beautiful album though, draws a really great swathe of influence from both their recent careers and mixing them perfectly, from sublime to quirky and a whole hotch-potch of unusual instrumentation.
|
Yes, I think it's superb -- one of my favourite album purchases in some time.
Krauss has some fine solo work too, if this CD makes anyone want to explore her stuff further.
|
|
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
|
|
Chicapah
Prog Reviewer
Joined: February 14 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 8238
|
Posted: December 28 2007 at 12:16 |
|
Got this one for Christmas and find it to be much, much moodier and darker than I expected. Almost a minimalist approach to the instrumentation, especially with the percussion. I've never heard Robert sing so softly but his voice is very soothing and he harmonizes with her angelic vocals quite well. I thought it would be "Plant goes country" but it's more in the eclectic folk category than bluegrass. Very subdued and a real departure for both of them.
|
|
"Literature is well enough, as a time-passer, and for the improvement and general elevation and purification of mankind, but it has no practical value" - Mark Twain
|
|
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.
/PAlogo_v2.gif "Progarchives.com Homepage")
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand