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| Raising Sand | 
 enlarge | Creators: Robert Plant And Alison Krauss, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss
Label: Rounder
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $9.67
You Save: $9.31 (49%)
New (50) Used (21) Collectible (2) from $8.35
Avg. Customer Rating:  501 reviews
Sales Rank: 65
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.5 x 4.8 x 0.4
MPN: 619075
UPC: 011661907522
EAN: 0011661907522
ASIN: B000UMQDHC
Release Date: October 23, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 What a let down! November 17, 2007
10 out of 22 found this review helpful
After falling for the hype of the Plant/Krauss/Burnett teaming, I anxiously waited for this CD to arrive in the mail. My anticipation was tempered by the snippets I heard on the Web which were underwhelming to say the least, but the reviews were so good and the teaming so stellar that I figured the album was a can't miss. It wasn't. This music is boring, uninspired and lacking in any kind of passion or excitement. I feel betrayed by all of the critics who obviously wanted this to work so badly that their reviews were probably written before they heard the record. What a let down.
Near perfect! October 25, 2007
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
The music here doesn't try to 'match' anything either artist has done before, so I'm not suprised a small group of people are not as happy as I am with this one. I too would like to have heard some more upbeat songs, but anyone who has followed Robert's last several recordings know that he's not the mighty Led Zep powerhouse rocker he used to be. Do we really want him to be?? As far as I've heard he can still handle the classic songs live, which is all I need. His voice (of course) has changed through the years, but I'm glad that on this one he's not trying to over-power himself with the whine~~~ that used to work when he was the young Plant! He sounds adult and very confident on this one. Some of my favorite artists of all time are getting older, and it appears that Robert is accepting and embracing his age with grace. I've been a fan of this guy... well almost forever as far as my life is concerned.
As far as Alison... Well I've been a fan since WAY WAY back. Some people wouldn't even recognize Alison from way back. I remember about 10 years ago or so she started to appear to enjoy her fame much more and looking into the camera and smiling more and looking more confident. I was so pleased to see that. She's always been cute as a button and her voice is that of an angel. Her music ability, well, do I need to say anything there??? She was born in my hometown of Decatur, Il (maybe even the same hospital~~ there's only 2). She has more grammys than any other female in history I believe. Well deserved, and I won't be suprised if this one chalks up a few.
Together they have made an album that lifted my eyebrows a bit, and that's not easy to do anymore. I was pleasantly suprised. I wouldn't mind hearing more from these two together!
Note: This one is recomended for people who enjoy folk music as well as Robert and Alison's works.
 The Primary Contendor for Album Of The Year 2007 October 27, 2007
9 out of 14 found this review helpful
So far this year, I had hailed three albums as making the Top of my List for the Best Albums of the year. The list contained Rufus Wainwrights' "Release the Stars", Paige Aufhammer's debut CD, and "Yes, I'm a Witch" by Yoko Ono. However, two listens of this, and it has zoomed directly to the top of that heap. This may well be the album of 2007, and watch it sweep the Grammys in 2008.
The reason this is good is multiple. First, the unusua pairing of Plant and Krauss - yes this is different, but it could also have flopped miserably. But what really elevates this project is that the musicians had the good sense to experiment with different genres all on the same CD - and the result is that no two songs sound alike, and there is something here for everyone (literally).
The primary genre of this album would be acoustic folk-rock, but that would be under-selling it. I am going to list some of the genres on this CD, and compare it to an album, so that you know exactly what to expect when you buy this and pop it into your player:
1. Bluegrass : A very rural, rustic feel permeates this entire recording. Very similar to "The Grass is Blue" by Dolly Parton (in fact, I feel this album is close to that Parton record in so many ways, especially the lyrics).
2. Avant-Garde Jazz : Strange but true. How these two musicians did it is beyond me, but the atmospheric jazz ambience here is very reminiscent of a David Lynch movie. Example CD : "Mulholland Drive : The Soundtrack". That album and this share so many traits.
3. Acoustic Rock : An obvious genre, but this album has a lot in common with the new Annie Lennox CD "Songs of Mass Destruction" (including some song structure and opening riffs).
4. Twee Chamber Pop : An odd genre to be sure, but its there. Alison's vocals sometimes are so dreamlike and breathy that they evoke Belle and Sebastian. In that aspect, this album is very close to "Amorino", the 2003 album by Isobel Campbell.
5. Experiment Pop-Opera : The closest collaboration album I can think of to compare this to is "Ballad of the Broken Seas" by Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell from 2006. Listen and find out.
6. World Music : Yes, the influences are there on this CD. I found strains of the Beatles here as well, in the string sections. If you like Afro Celt Sound System and their album "Release", you will love this, as some of the instrumentation really evokes the mood of that CD.
As you can see, this is not a straight-forward, simple album to review or listen to. Also, despite the calm and peaceful album cover, this is not one of those adult contemporary recordings that you can play in the background. It needs some investing in, but it will pay you back richly.
It hard to come across a CD that blends so many genres seamlessly, and for that reason, this scores a full five stars. I highly recommend this to you, if you want one solid CD to pop in and listen to on repeat for a while. This one stands the test of time. Get it now!
Five Stars.
 Shake Me Wake Me When It Starts November 4, 2007
9 out of 14 found this review helpful
I smell a Grammy, but not because it's a good record. The combination of these two great artists together, plus the "Emperor's New Clothes" phenomenon, seems to be fooling people into thinking something great is going on here.
Well, the first four songs, one after another, put me into a stupor. I woke up a bit around song 5 (Gone Gone Gone) and the second half of the album is more varied than the first. But overall, this is 21st century elevator music.
I've been a big fan of Alison Krauss for 20 years. She has a phenomenal voice and can sing anything, as well as being a fantastic fiddle and viola player. On this record, both she and Plant sound wonderful individually and their voices blend beautifully. So what's the problem? This is very much a ballad album with a majority of the songs in the low-energy category, and taken as a whole, it's downright boring.
The concept of pairing these two is ingenious, and I wouldn't mind hearing a different CD where they open up and really sing, and the material supports their full range of talents. But for now, I have absolutely no interest in listening to Raising Sand a second time, and that says it all. This CD is in my "play this when I need something to put me to sleep" pile. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
Subtle Brilliance November 8, 2007
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
When I saw this CD was coming out I pre-ordered it, not having any expectations. As far as I'm concerned, Alison Krauss is one of the most talented artists in the music business. I've seen her several times live and have yet to hear her hit one bad note. Her bluegrass music is great but I've also enjoyed her forays into pop. Robert Plant is a legend, of course. Led Zep is one of my favorite bands of all time. But I couldn't imagine what the collaboration of these two would sound like. I think that was a good way to go into listening to this album. Those I've spoken with who had expectations seem to be disappointed. On first listen (and I have to admit I was working at the time and not paying close attention) the album sort of bored me. Second listening, it started to grow on me. By the third listen I was absolutely hooked. The songs are mostly mesmerizing. I love the moodiness, the subtlety, the delicate detail. Much credit goes to T-Bone Burnett for his uncluttered production, arrangements and choice of musicians.
Again, Alison the Perfectionist does not disappoint with her ethereal vocals and fiddle skills. Robert Plant's toned-down lyrical singing is beautiful here, and only a couple of classic vocal wails would give away his true identity to casual fans. On some songs the collaboration is indistinct, but I don't mind that. The album's mood doesn't call for show-stopping performances and showboating artistry.
My favorite songs by both Alison Krauss and Robert Plant pre-Raising Sand, are the moody, darker ones, so it's no surprise those are my favorites on this album.
Raising Sand opens with Rich Woman, a nice combo of an upbeat, pop-flavored number with a hint of the haunting numbers to come thanks to a tenor guitar and sparse arrangement.
I'm an Everly Brothers fan, but Gone Gone Gone is one of the few missteps on the album. It's a little too happy and upbeat. Though I do appreciate the vintage-sounding production.
While the country-tinged Killing the Blues is also more upbeat, it somehow works, as does Stick With Me Baby.
Through the Morning Through the Night could easily be a track on an Alison Krauss and Union Station album, but it fits nicely with the subtle mood of this CD.
Please Read the Letter is one of the standouts on the album, showing a true collaboration of Plant's and Krauss's vocals and supported beautifully with that cool tenor guitar and warm fiddle. It is probably one of the more pop-accessible tracks on the CD.
I am on the fence with Fortune Teller. It just seems like too much of a novelty song to be a good fit with this album.
My favorites here are the moodiest of all: Trampled Rose, Polly Come Home, Nothin',and Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us. These are the songs that make the album truly special. If I picked my favorite song from this album, it would be Trampled Rose. The melody is haunting and sung by Alison with perfection, with the supporting music adding just the right touch of drama and mystique.
Let Your Loss be Your Lesson's arrangement is off-putting to me (think bad Elvis). I also find it an odd choice for Alison to sing. With most of the other songs on this album having such uncomplicated depth, this sticks out as amateurish. I think all the artists playing on Raising Sand are better than this. Gotta dock Burnett for that one.
Your Long Journey is a pretty, old-timey spiritual that is a soft finish to the album. You'd be hard-pressed to recognize Plant as the background singer if you didn't know it was him. The album doesn't start or end with a bang, so it's a fitting final song.
Some people can't hang with moody music and find it depressing. Those folks might not have the patience for this work. But I don't think this album is a downer at all. I find it fresh and inspiring.
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