- Label
- Decca
- Release date
- 29th October 2007
- Genre
- Country/folk
- Buy this album
- Order CD
Earthy, swampy, dusty Americana from two superb musicians
Alison Krauss, best known for her work with Union Station and for performing most of the delightful vocals on the soundtrack for Oh Brother Where Art Thou?, is an Illinois-born fiddle player credited with popularising bluegrass in the modern USA. On Raising Sand, she teams up with living legend Robert Plant; the result is a blend of her traditional, rootsy style with Plant’s more protean influences.
Often the songs seem to be pulled in two directions. It’s possible to define Plant’s bluesy stomp, direct from scorched deltas and giving life to tracks like Rich Woman and Gone, Gone Gone. Krauss’s more traditional bluegrass fiddle and stunning voice – which breathes life into Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us and Trampled Rose, among others – is richer and milder. But these two elements sit comfortably with each other, rather than tearing the songs apart – the decision to team up and give each other free reign was an inspired one on the part of the duo.
More to try: Alison Krauss & Union Station: New Favourite Loretta Lynn: Van Lear Rose Dolly Parton: Halos & Horns
