I know that sounds horrendous, but it really sounded great!

 

I then realized that with an imagination like that, it's very fortunate that I have never experimented with any mind altering substances.

 

I'm a big Zep fan, and know and enjoy some of Krauss' work (O brother where Art Thou soundtrack, etc), plus I enjoy folk, rootsy stuff, and some (less commercial) country and bluegrass, so listening to and enjoying this album should pose no difficulties for me. I previewed a couple of tracks at the store -- sounded like my kind of stuff, plus their voices seem to work well together.

 

Tony, you ol' Rush uber-fan, what's the extent of your connection to "roots", trad-rock or alt-country music? Don't you routinely put down Steeleye Span (a band I love)?

 

(The music mag reviews certainly seem to indicate more than a middling "not bad" score.)  Do you like Wilco? The Jayhawks?

 

Did you buy the album mostly as a Zep fan, or because you knew what you were getting into? Had you ever heard Alison Krauss' solo work? Got any country or bluegrass?

 

Just wondering!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 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.)

 

 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.)?

 

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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!

 

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.

 

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.