Customer Reviews

Raising Sand

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I heard Robert Plant was making an album with Alison Krauss I was overjoyed.

I love Led Zeppelin, and Krauss is my favorite female vocalist so an album with both of them was music to my ears! (literally!)

From start to finish, Krauss and Plant compliment each other beautifully.

My favorites have to be Gone Gone Gone, Please Read The Letter and Fortune Teller.

Buy this album! You will not be disappointed!!

To be fair, I never had much time for Led Zep and only a passing interest in Alison Krauss but I'd read about this record and I thought I would try it. Plant's part is more of a whisper than a scream but he meshes with Krauss seamlessly as they take great joy in one man's version (T-Bone Burnett)of the Great American songbook. Definitely more Sunday morning than Saturday night but the entire album is as familiar as best pair of jeans and as memorable as your first kiss.

I raised my eyebrows when I first read about "Raising Sand".I've listened with great pleasure to Robert Plant for, well, a while now. All I knew of Allison Krauss was picked up from snippets on PBS and the soundtrack of "Oh Brother Where art Thou". Turns out to be a fine collaboration, sweet and sensual, immediately engaging...a place to linger in a musical journey I hope will continue for many years to come.

Amazon classifies this under genres Rock, General, Pop Rock, Bluegrass, Country, and Folk...all on one eclectic album! On the whole I wouldn't look for this under Rock, but the 1st song "Rich Woman" really does gently rock, slide, and reverberate you. (From my poem to R: "A splendid singing duet in 'Evermore' legend, portamento; Blish he'd do more twosomes, silken alchemy blended!, grazioso; Purrhaps if we're nice and say pul-ease "yeh yeh" Hon, dolcissimo; Nuance voice sweet music as lute and chocolate mousse, yum!") And he's done it...a collaboration with Alison! I thought maybe R's voice would turn a little country here, but not all. R's voice is ageless beautiful tones; and Alison is enchanted wistful longing. Beauty on the outside and beauty that moves to the inside. R's sign Leo has a penchant for what to them may be exotic or away from the usual digs. 'Killing The Blues' is atmospherically country; 'Sister Rosetta' is folksy with a warm Spanish lull; 'Polly Come Home' is haunting and melting; 'Gone Gone Gone' is a toe-tapping 60's pop ride with some 'well well well' and 'yeah yeah yeah' Robertisms, and Alison complements him perfectly; 'Through The Morning' is predominantly Alison's bluegrass, with R, & bubbling guitar; 'Please Read The Letter' has deep musical undertones, R's crisp lyrics and "Baby" swooning improvs which I love; 'Trampled Rose' shows off Alison's range and to me has a Celtic transcendant synergy or perhaps an oriental flare; 'Fortune Teller's' delta blues highlights R's rock verve, and are those tom toms I hear; 'Stick With Me Baby' is understated smoothness every step of the way; 'Nothin' " shows off the band's skillful versatility and full surround sound with rock guitar, tamborine, banjo, and fiddle, & Robert's voice is light and sensual. 'Let Your Loss' is Alison's porch-swingin' country; 'Your Long Journey's' commingle harmony gives me *g*o*o*s*e*b*u*m*p*s*. As an aspiring songwriter, this is worth the trip down south!

Being a Zep fan it was hard to imagine how this work would turn out but it is fantastic. It may take a bit to get used to a more mellow Robert Plant but the more you listen the more addictive it becomes. A great addition to any cd collection regardless of your taste in music.

An amazing CD. It touches so many genres and ages of music. The energy of Led Zep comes through and is softened with Krauss's melodic voice. This is truly a great album for both Plant and Krauss. Lyrics include collaboration with Jimmy Page to give them the great essence of feeling that is conveyed so well by Plant and Krauss. "Please read the letter that I wrote" is an absolutely fabulous song that stays with me.

I recommend this album to all music lovers regardless of your genre leanings. Krauss' voice is simply stunning (I cannot think of a female vocalist with a more pure, subtle or beautiful voice) and Plant has finally learned to sing properly!!! Don't get me wrong -- I am a dedicated Zep fan -- but this is the first time I have heard his voice truly shine. Love this album's version of Please Read the Letter and Sister Rosetta gives me goosebumps. Highly, highly recommended.

It's too bad the immature and vacuous review by Jean-pierre Falardeau "Jeeparoo" had to scar this entry.

This album has received a ton of hype, and in some senses it is warranted. The combination of Plant and Krauss is in itself something of a spectacle that is guaranteed to get attention. But I'm struck with the fact that they actually go together pretty well musically! It sounds like they've been together for a long time.

Throughout, this CD is soothing and composed quaintly. The entire thing has a nice, smooth cohesion to it. But yet, the individual tracks are generally not all that impressive on their own. Only 3 tracks really shine forth: Gone, Gone, Gone; Please Read This Letter; Fortune Teller. Three "WOW" tracks out of 13 is pretty good, but in the case it isn't enough to bring this album up to five stars in my opinion.

This is an amazing Album; bit mallow for Robert Plant's style, yet don't let this deter you from getting this album. "Polly Come Home" and "Please read the letter" alone are worth album's price.

Sometimes amazing songs, amazing voices, amazing musicians, and amazing production all come together beautifully on one recording. This is one of those times.