RAISING SAND - ROBERT PLANT AND ALISON KRAUSS
On the coattails of Emmylou Harris and Mark Knopfler’s genre-busting “All the Roadrunning” collaboration comes “Raising Sand,” the intriguing pairing of Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant with bluegrass queen Alison Krauss. Produced by T Bone Burnett, who contributes his keen knack for proffering compelling, off-the-beaten-path tunes, the CD traverses multifarious roots styles, from country (the heart-rending Gene Clark waltz “Through the Morning, Through the Night”) to Kurt Weill-like balladry (Sam Phillips’ enchanting “Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us”) to haunting melody (Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan’s “Trampled Rose”) to folk rock (the Plant/Jimmy Page beauty “Please Read the Letter”). Key to the magic is the delicious harmony vocals of the unlikely duo, best displayed on the swaying “Killing the Blues,” given trad-country depth by steel pedal ace Greg Leisz.
