God Damn Breathtaking

My brow furrowed so much to the point I thought my face had taken to an entirely different form when I first heard about the collaborative Robert Plant and Alison Krauss project. Granted, it is pretty common knowledge that Plant has a bit of a love affair/obsession with American Roots Rock and Country. But I still couldn’t fathom that he recorded an entire album with the (Illinois born) Appalachian Bluegrass Queen. I confess, I don’t know a whole hell of a lot about Alison Krauss outside of her performance on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. Upon my first listen of “Raising Sand,” however, I realized I should have been paying better attention to her. Her voice is breathtaking, so much so that I rarely ever feel the need to use a word like “breathtaking” until now. Plant, as far as I am concerned, still has one of the greatest voices in Rock despite the fact that it has aged a bit and he probably won’t be able to do many high-pitched “O” sounds at the Led Zeppelin reunion show next month. Anyway, on with the show!
“Raising Sand” was produced by T Bone Burnett, who was also responsible for the selection of songs Plant and Krauss sang, no doubt a fun but difficult task. The selections run the gamut of American Roots Rock N’Roll, from the Everly Brothers to Tom Waits, along with several of their respected peers from the last 50 years of American music. Burnett keeps the production pretty minimal. There's a slight hiss on the tracks which actually add warmth and a vintage quality to the recording. In short, the production does what it needs to do without taking away from the intimacy of the performances.
I never recall Plant harmonizing with anyone but himself (unless you count “Battle of Evermore”), which made me wonder how well he was going to work with the mighty twang of Alison Krauss. The results of their harmonizing are astonishing; you'd think they'd been practicing for this album their whole lives. There’s no showing off between the two artists. It’s refreshing to know that they were able to trust each other and themselves. Their breathtaking (There we go again!) harmonies shine best on the opening track “Rich Girl,” along with the single “Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On),” “Killing The Blues,” “Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us”and “Stick With Me Baby.” Apart from those standout duets, “Raising Sand” is full of other pleasant surprises that’ll make your earwax cheer.
If one were to follow Plant’s career in and out of Zeppelin it’s no surprise that he is singing these songs. The bigger surprise is what he doesn’t sing on “Raising Sand,” most notably the “Little” Milton song “Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson.” Clearly, this is a song Plant would’ve been expected sing and would’ve it handled with ease. However, Burnett picked this particular chestnut for Krauss to cover. It was a wise choice. Hearing a white and female Bluegrass superstar singing a Mississippi Delta Rhythm & Blues song is one of the most unique and rewarding musical experiences I have ever encountered.
The collaboration isn’t limited to Plant and Krauss’s vocal talents. On the scorching Townes Van Zandt “Nothin’,” Krauss’s performance comes from her fiddle and she uses it to a positively haunting effect. On the aforementioned “Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson,” Plant is noticeably entirely absent. The fact that the album is not just a collection of duets is one of its strongest attributes outside of the performances. “Raising Sand” is an experiment and an opportunity for two extraordinary artists to stretch their own limits and expectations. The result is without a doubt one of the best albums of the year, as well as one of the best collaborations ever between two icons.