Originally appeared in thelondonpaper.com

Rock giant Robert Plant, who receives the CBE, shot to fame as lead vocalist of Led Zeppelin, as well as carving out a successful solo career.

Plant recently released the Nationwide Mercury Prize-shortlisted Raising Sand, with American bluegrass superstar Alison Krauss. ||Continue reading||

Press Release

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have been honored with Grammy nominations in five categories for the T Bone Burnett produced release ‘Raising Sand’ (Rounder Records). In addition to ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Record of the Year’ (for “Please Read The Letter”), ‘Raising Sand’ garnered nominations for Best Contemporary Americana/Folk Album, Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals (for “Rich Woman”), and Best Country Collaboration With Vocals (for “Killing The Blues”).

Alison Krauss comments: “I’m absolutely thrilled and grateful. And also proud of the record!”

The nominations for the 51st annual Grammy Awards — to be held February 8th, 2009, in Los Angeles — add to last year’s win for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for “Gone Gone Gone” and a growing list of awards for the release, including a CMA award for ‘Musical Event of the Year’ as well as ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Duo/ Group of the Year’ honors at the Americana Music Awards and a nomination for the Mercury Prize’s ‘Short List.’

Debuting at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 chart upon release in October 2007, ‘Raising Sand’ has been certified platinum by the RIAA, and has merited across the board praise, nods in numerous best of the year lists, and raves in outlets such as NPR, Time, Rolling Stone, Billboard, USA Today, The New York Times, The New York Post and The Los Angeles Times.

Originally appeared on icfmusic.wordpress.com

by ICF

My thirty-ninth recommendation is: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss’s “Through the Morning, Through the Night” from their 2007 Raising Sand album. I have been wanting to highlight this album and this particular song for months and months since I’ve had this album, but I never could find the right time. I felt that, because I had recommended Alison before, I should wait until much later to use her again, because I’m all obsessed with rules and stuff, but I’m beginning not to care anymore lol. It was time, and that time was today. You need to see and hear country music for what it is and can be, and those award shows don’t really appreciate nor represent what the good part of the music is (the CMAs did give the win to Plant/Krauss for “Collaboration”, so I’ll give them that). The first single, “Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)”, with its Beatles-like sound, I wouldn’t consider to be country, but it’s very good. It wasn’t until last year, during Christmas-time that I was able to finally purchase and listen to all of Raising Sand, and man I was blown away. Led Zeppelin rock legend Robert Plant and bluegrass extraordinaire Alison Krauss are the perfect partners for a project like this. Anybody who has heard all of the material and has trouble categorizing this as a “country album”, while at the same time, labels artists like Rascal Flatts “country”, just because they call themselves that, is seriously crazy (I won’t name names, but I’ve seen it online, and it makes no sense). The album as a whole may not be particularly country, but its influence and sound is very evident, throughout.

On my first listen of the entire album, in my living room, I was immediately struck by how diverse and exquisite this collaboration turned out to be. The album has a refreshing blend of rock, folk, pop, blues, and my personal favorite: traditional country. The track that stood out to me the most was, of course, “Through the Morning, Through the Night” because of that reason. I totally was not expecting to hear the traditional style of country on the album. Alison’s vocals are hauntingly beautiful in this cover of Gene Clark’s cheating song. I wouldn’t call the song a “duet” for the reason that Alison sings the lead and Plant is more of the harmony vocal (I’ll tag it as both, however). The production consists of drums, acoustic bass, electric guitar, and pedal steel guitar, and man, does that steel guitar sure pull you in. I’d say with Krauss and Plant’s sweet voices and that achingly sad steel moaning in the background, it just sounds so freaking heartbreaking (especially that last steel solo at the end with the electric). T Bone Burnett does an excellent job producing this track, as well as the rest of the project. It could easily be labeled “alternative country”.

The lyrics are about cheating, and I’m thinking marriage infidelity because of the “the bond has been broken, the promise you gave, the words that were spoken…” line. You can really feel the ache that the person is feeling because their loved one is running around on them… although on a lighter side, it is kinda funny to hear Alison sing the line: “But to know, that another man’s holding you tight, hurts me, little darling…” only because it sounds like her man is off with another man, a la Brokeback Mountain lol (which isn’t “funny” per se, but it’s just not a common lyric you hear). Alison said herself that with this album, she didn’t want to change the lyrics, even if one was gender specific, so she didn’t, and I think it makes the song and album even better that way (another track on the album that has a similar situation is in the beginning of “Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson” when Alison sings, “Once I had myself a good woman, but I just didn’t treat her right…” ha) So, “Through the Morning, Through the Night”, just as Gene Clark wrote it, is from a male’s perspective, and really showcases the emotion he feels because his lover is messing around on him. Despite the depressing lyrics, the song actually relaxes me and makes me feel good (the lyrics don’t have to do with that: it’s everything else. Just the beauty of it all.) and it’s currently #14 in my top-played iTunes songs. I feel like this one of the least talked about songs on the album and it deserved recognition.

Now, back to Raising Sand. My other top favorites, besides the songs I mentioned would be catchy cougar-lovin’ “Rich Woman”, “Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us” with its gypsy-like feel, the classic rock and fiddle-infusion of “Nothin”, “Killin’ the Blues” (which has a similar sound to “Through the Morning…”), and finally, the folksy, even Medieval-ish bluegrass sounding closing track, “Your Long Journey”. Now, all the material on the album is amazing (I could never get into “Stick With Me, Baby”, for some reason, however), so I’d recommend buying the whole album, because I’m betting this will go down as one of the best collaborative records of all time. They alternate on every song, one sings lead vocal and the other harmony, or done duet style. There’s plenty of steel, fiddle, banjo, and twang for any country fan to enjoy, as well as any non-country fan. I hear that Plant and Krauss want to or plan to make another one together in the future. Too bad I missed them when they performed at Red Rocks a while back!… I was too poor then (or should I say, too? lol). Just buy the record, and you’ll be glad you did.

PRESS RELEASE

Following the GRAMMY(TM) winning success of ‘Raising Sand’ (The single “Gone Gone Gone” won Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals), Robert Plant and Alison Krauss embarked on a worldwide tour, playing to sold-out audiences nearly every night. Topping many critics’ ‘Best of the Year’ lists for 2007, the duo kept up the momentum, playing shows that were hailed as “pure genius” (Tennessean) and “exquisite” (NY Daily News), making 2008 an exceptional year.

Already platinum, the album’s strong sales continue apace and just last week ‘Raising Sand’ notched the “Greatest Gainer” and “Pacesetter” positions on Billboard’s Top 200 and Top Country albums charts.

Recent Highlights Include:

* An exclusive sit down interview with Katie Couric that aired on CBS Sunday Morning in October.

* The artists took home honors for “Album of the Year” and “Duo/Group of the Year” at the Americana Music Awards.

* Plant and Krauss’ ‘Raising Sand’ tour received praise across the board: “Their wide-ranging, two-hour concert here was nothing short of spellbinding.” (Washington Post)

* They are nominated for “Musical Event of the Year” by the Country Music Association and were nominated for the Mercury Prize’s “Short List.”

* The single “Gone, Gone, Gone” - the only song eligible in 2008 — won a GRAMMY(TM) for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

Official Statement issued September 29, 2008:

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are currently touring the USA on the last leg of their ‘Raising Sand’ tour. They played a benefit concert in Oklahoma City for victims of Hurricane Ike last Friday; Austin,Texas last Saturday and tomorrow they play Portland, Oregon before finishing the tour in Saratoga, California on October 5th.

After those dates, Robert has no intention whatsoever of touring with anyone for at least the next two years. Contrary to a spate of recent reports, Robert Plant will not be touring or recording with Led Zeppelin. Anyone buying tickets online to any such event will be buying bogus tickets.

“It‘s both frustrating and ridiculous for this story to continue to rear its head when all the musicians that surround the story are keen to get on with their individual projects and move forward,” Robert Plant said.

“I wish Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham nothing but success with any future projects,” he added.

originally appeared on NewsOK.com

By Gene Triplett

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss turn their music-making travels into a mission of mercy tonight at the Zoo Amphitheatre when the hurriedly organized Oklahoma City stop on their “Raising Sand” tour becomes a fundraising event for the victims of Hurricane Ike.

“It’d be great to see some people turn out,” Plant said in a phone interview from St. Louis Wednesday. “I mean we’re playing out of our minds. It’s a really great show that we’re doing and we’re all dutybound to be doing something like this. It’s the time to do it. So I can only imagine it’s going to be a spectacular night.” ||Continue reading||

Originally appeared in The Epoch Times

by Ashley Wei

Last year, an interesting album combining the soothing bluegrass queen Alison Krauss’s voice with the mellow tenor of Robert Plant, a much-loved English 70’s rock artist, was released. This oddly beautiful harmony created such a wave that “Raising Sand” was named the album of the year. ||Continue reading||

PRESS RELEASE

Grammy-winning duo Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will kick off the autumn leg of their wildly successful ‘Raising Sand’ (Rounder Records) tour September 23rd, in Kansas City, MO. Joining the pair onstage will be producer T Bone Burnett, leading an all-star cast of musicians.

Due to Hurricane Ike damages to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston, the ‘Raising Sand’ show on September 26th has been relocated to the Zoo Amphitheater in Oklahoma City with profits going to the Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund.

This month, Plant and Krauss took home honors for “Album of the Year” and “Duo/Group of the Year” at the Americana Music Awards. They are nominated for “Musical Event of the Year” by the Country Music Association and were nominated for the Mercury Prize’s “Short List.”

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss ‘Raising Sand’ Fall Tour:
9/23 Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre
9/24 St. Louis, MO Fox Theatre
9/26 Zoo Amphitheater, Oklahoma City, OK (Benefit)
9/27 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Festival
9/30 Portland, OR Theatre of the Clouds
10/1 Seattle, WA WAMU Theater at Qwest Fields Event Center
10/3 San Francisco, CA Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
10/4 Kelseyville, CA Koncti Harbor
10/5 Saratoga, CA The Mountain Winery

originally appeared in the Oklahoman

By Gene Triplett

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will play a special benefit concert at the Zoo Amphitheatre on Friday, Sept. 26, to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Ike, it was learned today.

The singers were scheduled to perform at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston on that date but the show was canceled due to the storm’s devastation in that city.

Howard Pollock, head of Innervisions, which produces shows at the Zoo, said he received a call early today from Plant’s management, inquiring about the availability of the venue.

“Yeah, it’s going to happen,” Pollock said. “They called me up in my sleep. They said, ‘Howard, we want to do a benefit.’ What Robert Plant just found out is how devastated Houston and the surrounding areas are. They just said, ‘Hey, we want to make this a benefit. Can we pull this off in a week?’

“We’re going to get everybody behind this. I think we can sell 6 or 7,000 tickets and all the money goes to the victims. Tickets.com is kicking in. They’re kicking in a major portion of their service charges.”

Pollock said he expects several major corporations to offer sponsorship for the event as well.

General admission and reserved-seat tickets will go on sale Monday at Tickets.com or by phone at (800) 511-1552.

Plant and Krauss are touring behind their CMA Award-nominated duet album, “Raising Sand.”

originally appeared on sky.com

by Steve Hargrave

Although if I was 60 and had already been responsible for some of the most ear-shatteringly loud yelps in the last four decades, I can’t help but think I’d be resting on my laurels now and spending my days in bed, counting my money and striking some rock star poses in my 24-carat gold full-length mirror.

Luckily then I’m not a rock legend and Robert Plant is. ||Continue reading||