Robert Plant & Alison Krauss to Try and Capture Magic Again

Along with the improbable success of the soundtrack to the Coen Brothers movie O Brother Where Art Thou? in 2000—which went on to win all kinds of awards, sell millions of copies, and helped renew interest in bluegrass—the 2007 album pairing up Led Zepplin frontman Robert Plant with singer and bluegrass maestro Alison Krauss called Raising Sand also pulled off the improbable, landing all sorts of accolades, including the all-genre Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards in 2009, and six Grammy trophies overall.
Produced by T Bone Burnett, and featuring musicians such as Norman Blake, Greg Leisz, Marc Ribot, and Dennis Crouch, the reprisal of classic songs that deserved attention and had yet to be overdone captured a magic that had crowds and critics swooning. To see someone of the stature of Robert Plant eschew a Led Zepplin reunion tour to devote himself to American roots music, and with Alison Krauss no less was a sight to behold.
The two originally met and collaborated at a 2004 Lead Belly tribute concert at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame singing the Lead Belly song “Black Girl.” They struck up a friendship over their mutual love for Ralph Stanley, and the rest was history. Ever since the success of Raising Sand, there’s been talk of a follow up, and apparently they tried to record one at some point with producer Daniel Lanois that never fully materialized. But apparently Robert and Alison’s mutual love for the song “Quattro (World Drifts In)” by Calexico inspired new sessions, with a new album is on the way.
“[That] was the moment I knew we’d make another album,” Krauss says. “We wanted it to move. We brought other people in, other personalities within the band, and coming back together again in the studio brought a new intimacy to the harmonies.”
Plant says, “You hear something and you go ‘Man, listen to that song, we got to sing that song! It’s a vacation, really — the perfect place to go that you least expected to find.”
To be called Raise the Roof, the new album was produced by T-Bone Burnett, and features songs by Merle Haggard, Allen Toussaint, the Everly Brothers, and an original tune from the duo called “High and Lonesome.” They were joined in the studio by guitarists Marc Ribot, David Hidalgo, Bill Frisell, and Buddy Miller, bass players Dennis Crouch and Viktor Krauss, and pedal steel guitarist Russ Pahl.
Raise The Roof will be released on November 19th, and is preceded by the duo’s cover of “Can’t Let Go” by Randy Weeks, popularized by Lucinda Williams. The due also plans to tour in 2022.
Plant and Krauss plan on touring in 2022.
Raise the Roof Tracklist:
1. Quattro (World Drifts In)
2. The Price of Love
3. Go Your Way
4. Trouble With My Lover
5. Searching for My Love
6. Can’t Let Go
7. It Don’t Bother Me
8. You Led Me to the Wrong
9. Last Kind Words Blues
10. High and Lonesome
11. Going Where the Lonely Go
12. Somebody Was Watching Over Me
August 21, 2021 @ 9:46 am
Sounds great, I liked the first album they did. Whose “Price of Love” I wonder? Everly Brothers/BR-549, or Bad English?
August 22, 2021 @ 10:43 am
Can’t wait for the new/ old stuff. Lol. American music has so many roots in the old countries. The musical instruments and,the basic composisitions. Everything old is new again. Here’s to another album.
August 21, 2021 @ 10:00 am
That’s awesome, and great news for Randy Weeks! He had a residency at a local tavern right before the pandemic, what a nice guy and great writer!
August 21, 2021 @ 10:13 am
Well this should be good. I’m sorry they don’t have ace banjo player Riley Baugus on this but adding David Hidalgo is a great choice, same with Buddy Miller.
PS Robert Plant’s podcast Digging Deep, is really good. Each episode is about one song, most are songs on other people’s albums, and have great stories attached to them.
August 21, 2021 @ 10:42 am
I’m continually amazed that Alison krauss has made a career out of recording cover songs
August 22, 2021 @ 6:40 am
as did Linda Ronstadt, all about interpretation.
August 21, 2021 @ 10:46 am
Raising Sand in 2007, and tangentially Calexico (Feast of Wire from 2003 is a classic), represented my first serious dip into American roots music, which eventually led to my love of straight country music.
Saw Plant and Krauss tour that album back then and they did a couple acoustic renditions of classic Zeppelin tunes. Such a treat. Can’t wait for this new one.
August 21, 2021 @ 1:26 pm
Cool. Next time, I hope they include some younger musicians for exposure.
August 21, 2021 @ 2:05 pm
Big fan of led zeppelin and robert plants solo career.It`s great that he and alison have recorded new music. Really looking forward to this and hearing their harmonies
August 21, 2021 @ 8:09 pm
For the first minute or so of this song, I thought there had been a mistake and that I was hearing a cut from “Raising Sand”. This makes me wonder if the new collaboration will resemble their last, style wise, or if they will be expanding on what they’ve previously done. I guess “if it’s not broke…”, but I’m hoping we’ll hear some new sounds from these two together.
August 22, 2021 @ 5:58 pm
Yeah, i think its gonna be more of the same thing. T-Bone and Marc Ribot, its gonna be the same formula. I love Alison and Roberts music but i am not thinking we get any change from Raising Sand. Probably a vol 2 of that album. I was never all in on the first one, i found it weird to say the least. But they are two great vocalists so i think it was gonna get awarded no matter what. Plus, the Grammy voters love collaborations involving multiple genres.
August 21, 2021 @ 10:00 pm
The song started and I was like… didn’t Beth Hart do a version of this song?
And yeah… it’s rocking too.
Cool they are doing another album, I read ages ago they got back together to try again but they magic wasn’t there at the time.
August 22, 2021 @ 12:08 am
Ashley Monroe also did this song and her version is very good too. It was on her 2009 album called satisfied
August 22, 2021 @ 3:27 am
Sweet Lucinda cover.
August 22, 2021 @ 6:46 am
Power duo re-deux could beheaded into boredom. Blast into the future guys!
August 22, 2021 @ 7:11 am
I remember how intrigued and excited I was when I heard about their upcoming collaboration the first time around. Led Zeppelin was my first deep musical love and I followed and enjoyed Robert Plant’s solo career as well. And AKUS was one of my early bluegrass favorites back in the early ’90s. And I do think Raising Sand was a good album. Maybe not Album of the Year good, but a good album. And I’m looking forward to this new one.
A couple of random notes:
That’s quite the Murderer’s Row of guitar players that are on the upcoming album.
Looks like the Everly Brothers song is The Price of Love, which I know from Buddy Miller’s 2001 solo album Midnight and Lonesome. And this is another reminder of how much I miss Buddy Miller as a solo artist.
August 22, 2021 @ 5:36 pm
Can’t agree more about missing a new Buddy Miller solo album.
August 22, 2021 @ 9:55 am
Off topic, but I can’t wait for Trig’s future Keith Urban rant..
His new song is incredibly bland and he’s struggled in reaching the airplay Top 10 as of late.
Is Keith’s radio success drying up? Same can be asked about Blake Shelton and Tim McGraw. (Ironically Kenny Chesney is still a powerhouse at radio)
A new era is approaching…
August 24, 2021 @ 6:56 pm
I think every performer has their 15 minutes of fame. You can call it a new era but the famous come and go like the wind all the time.
August 22, 2021 @ 12:58 pm
Excellent mix of talents. Their last getting together produced a concert at the Greek, in L.A that blew us away. Encore!
August 22, 2021 @ 3:13 pm
Not a better duo whose voices are truly melodic. Could listen to any of their songs repeatedly!
August 23, 2021 @ 10:14 am
Hearing Killing the Blues off that first record changed my life man…
“Somebody said they saw me
Swinging the world by the tail
Bouncing over a white cloud
Killing the blues”
Those four lines made me realize how powerful songwriting could be, and soon after I started getting into more traditional American music and musicians.
August 24, 2021 @ 6:16 pm
Hey Trigger I’m sorry this is off topic but I’m bout drunk and was trying to find some sad country songs to listen to and I was thinking I’d like to read a list of what you consider the best sad country songs to listen to when I’m feeling like I’m feeling now. I look things up online and it’s all the same old stuff that we’ve all heard a million times.
August 24, 2021 @ 6:24 pm
Rusty,
David by Cody Jinks is a very sad country song. For my money, the saddest song of all time is Cat’s in the Cradle by Harry Chapin. Damn. Especially if you have kids, its downright depressing.
August 24, 2021 @ 6:33 pm
What wrong? …
August 24, 2021 @ 7:02 pm
Rusty,
I’ve read your comments for years. I hope you’re doing ok. If you’re not, set this topic aside and listen to the following playlist:
– Jerry Clower:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myBJBsTp7-c
– Its a Great Day to be Alive – Travis Tritt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4tSE2w53ts
– Little Victories – Chris Knight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IvacMBoNiM
– Jerry Reed – The Bird
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXednSuS1lw
– Feelin Better – Hank Jr.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf2zGnm_NbM
– Good Times – Charlie Robison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7BGodHm4u8
– Dixieland Delight – Alabama
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xqgr7R4zUMg
– Heading for the Light – Traveling Wilburys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VarURT-pH8o
–
August 24, 2021 @ 7:27 pm
Rusty,
This is inanity personified.
And, a lot of fun.
Watch “Johnny Cash @ the Muppets singing with Miss Piggy” on YouTube
https://youtu.be/E4TRvYAyt3k
August 26, 2021 @ 4:47 pm
Hey Rusty,
Checking in.
You doing Ok?
August 27, 2021 @ 2:45 am
Hey thanks and yeah I’m alright. It’s just been a rough time here lately. And I never really drink but it just felt like the right thing to do the other night but it just made everything feel worse, and being alone didn’t help. But yeah I’m pretty good now. Hope you are too.
August 27, 2021 @ 6:13 am
Glad you are alright.
Know some of us were pretty concerned.
Nothing wrong with throwing an adult beverage back now & then, relaxing, & contemplating.
Take care of yourself – know that you are never truly alone.
The Lord is always there.
Have been in some interesting situations around the globe.
In a couple of those that were on the dangerous side, felt the closeness of God, before even asking for the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Have a great weekend!
August 24, 2021 @ 6:53 pm
I heard their new single today and would say the magic is there. Together, they have a unique sound that I don’t hear elsewhere. I’m looking forward to the album in November.
August 26, 2021 @ 7:20 pm
”I was never all in on the first one, i found it weird to say the least. But they are two great vocalists so i think it was gonna get awarded no matter what. Plus, the Grammy voters love collaborations involving multiple genres.” KEVIN ..above
I still scratch my head over the unlikely success of that mismatched duo and the muddy , uninspiring production on the songs. didn’t get it then or now . but hey …who the hell am I ?..