Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand Review

Posted by Scott Rutherford on 03.10.2009

It doesn't get better than this.

One of the great surprises of 2008 was the album by rock god Robert Plant and bluegrass queen Alison Kruass. Conceived and produced by roots music champion T-Bone Burnett, it looks a funny match on paper but with a few second of common-sense thought, it’s really a perfect pairing.

Plant’s love of roots music is well known but his knowledge and palette stretches back further than the Mississippi blues he’s long been a champion of and this is where the connection to Kruass is at its most obvious. Usually classed as a country singer, Kruass more often mines bluegrass and Appalachian ore for her sound, which can most recognizably heard in her virtuoso fiddle playing which has long been a highlight of her recoded work and live shows.

Given that blues, country and bluegrass music share more than a few DNA strands there is much common ground that these two can cover without it ever feeling like one was trying to pull the wool over our eyes or creating musically awkward moments that would entice a cringe and use of the skip button on your iPod.

Now that Raising Sand has managed a mighty five Grammy’s including Best Album and Best Record, 411 thought it worthwhile we re-visit this album since it flew under the radar when it was released (late-2007) and only really started to pick up steam in March 2008 when the album was suddenly certified platinum and casual music listeners and critics alike really started looking hard.

Raising Sand – Track Listing
1. "Rich Woman" – 4:04
2. "Killing the Blues" – 4:16
3. "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us" – 3:26
4. "Polly Come Home" – 5:36
5. "Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On)" – 3:33
6. "Through the Morning, Through the Night" – 4:01
7. "Please Read the Letter" – 5:53
8. "Trampled Rose” - 5:34
9. "Fortune Teller" – 4:30
10. "Stick with Me, Baby" – 2:50
11. "Nothin'" – 5:33
12. "Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson” – 4:02
13. "Your Long Journey" - 3:55

Perhaps the wisest move this set made was making this a set of covers rather than a song writing exercise. By doing this, Plant and Krauss were able to focus on the songs themselves and the proof this approached works is in the vocals, which I can only sum up in one word…otherworldly

I’m going to put my hand up right now and say this may be Plant’s best ever recorded work. Always an adventurous spirit, his love of folk and world music is well known and he’s never been shy about taking chances on record before. On this collection of songs, he’s mindful not to overpower Krauss and the restrain suits him.

Opener “Rich Woman” sets the tone. Written by Dorothy LaBostrie, the name may leave you scratching your head wondering who she is (she wrote “Tutti Frutti” for Little Richard) but the swampy rocker swims out your speakers in waves of guitar tremolo and swing backbeat drumming that instantly lets you know that the music has little in common with Krauss and Plant’s regular day jobs. The playful vocals mix beautifully as Plants distinct croon works its way around Krauss’ more traditional, centered, delivery giving you the impression of the vocals and music being panned left and right as the song continues. It’s hypnotic.

Most songs on this album are slower and muted than the opener but don’t take that to mean it’s any less inviting or visceral. Second track “Killing the Blues” is one of the standout moments on this set as they cover a track written by Chris Isaac’s bassist(?!?) Roly Salley and a better example of depth by restraint my never have been recorded. The same vocal formula applies as Krauss’ voice grounds the melody while Plant’s gives it the mood and warmth that makes this CD so inviting.

All songs aren’t duets as Krauss takes centre stage on Sam Phillips “Sister Rosette Goes Before Us” but even then the surprises roll in. Plants never says a word and just moans in the background making this perhaps the sexiest banjo song ever. By letting Krauss take centre stage Pant proves this is a true collaboration and not a vanity project to bide his time.

As for the rest of the album, throw a rock and you’ll hit something different and what’s more, mischievous. Take the cover of the Everly Brother rarity, “Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On) and crank up the smooth rockabilly vibe that is a welcome contrast to the slow paced track listing. As you would expect, Plant reveals in the extract elbowroom but it’s Krauss keeping up every step of the way that’s a nice surprise. You can only hope she takes part of this experience into her own work. Ditto the fun roots rave-up “Fortune Teller” which if you close your eyes you can see yesteryear Plant crooning away on. Fun stuff indeed.

Probably the best example of the overall tone of this album is the weepy Gene Clark ballad "Through the Morning, Through the Night" . Kruass again takes point for this song as she gives a heartbreaker of a performance that would rank up with Patsy Kleine and her masterworks. Plant for his part stays out of the road and offers a comfortable presence during the chorus.

Maybe the biggest surprise is the Nick Cave-like treatment of Townes Van Zandt’s “Nothin’”. From the grinding guitar work, to Krauss’s superb fiddle playing, you could be hearing a long lost great Bad Seeds track and it plays to the adventurous spirit of this collection. It also sticks out like a sore thumb as the rambling sway of the whole piece threatens to veer off and collapse in a heap.


Overall Thoughts
Last year I reviewed a CD by the duo KaiserCartel that really bowled me over. While I called it my frontrunner for album of the year, Raising Sand came along and blew it out the water. There’s a seductive allure to Raising Sand that collects at the base of your skull and works it’s way into your subconscious. Plant has never sounded as comfortable and self-assured and his snake-charmer persona acts as the perfect marriage to Krauss’ world-weary vocals.

Burnett’s production harkens back to the 50’s and 60’s era and is the unsung hero in this collection. Always interesting but shrewd enough to stay clear of the vocals, both Krauss and Plant have stated the Burnett was the brains behind the project and the reason it’s sounds like it does.

What is to come in the future? Who knows, as no word has come about a follow-up but the world could do worse then another collaboration between Plant and Krauss and with Plant’s increasing willingness to experiment and Krauss tasting mainstream exposure for the first time, the results could be interesting to say the least.

We sit in wait.

The 411: I don’t think I’ve ever heard a perfect album until I heard Raising Sand. Emotional, fun, inspire and utterly seductive. By no means is this a party album, but if you’re a fan of music and you don’t find the hidden treasure of this collaboration, then you really aren’t a fan of music at all. Highest Recommendation.

Final Score:  10.0   [ Virtually Perfect ]