fRoots

[Elisavet]

If I could, I would have filled this space with beautiful words and adjectives but how much more can you lift Raising Sand? Showering Alison Krauss and Robert Plant with praise would be quite boring and who wants to read a thesaurus list of positive words in a review?

At first appearance the beauty and the beast seemed like an odd couple. However, Krauss and Plant together are dynamite, their voices are diamond crystals breaking through stones, reaching hearts and souls and making one of my least favourite venues in London for live music, the Wembley Arena, seem like paradise. So, both of them do a pretty good job themselves in elevating Raising Sand beyond our imagination, singing the songs from the record as if they have been reinvented for a third time.

With every song it only gets better and better and when you think the sky's limits have been reached in their performance of Fortune Teller, then comes Trampled Rose showing the vast range of Krauss’s voice. How effortlessly she delivers every single note and if there was any doubt of her drowning in the abyss of Plant’s shadow she proves that her low key demure image says nothing about her voice’s power.

Watching Robert Plant playing the maracas, singing backing vocals on a few of the songs and using his wit and charm to entertain the crowd shows that despite the fame and success he still seems like a humble, ordinary kind of guy. As one older man shouts from the audience: ”Robert I love you man!” Plant’s response is ”You waited a long time to tell me...”

Their interpretation of the songs doesn't stick strictly to bluegrass, country and American traditions. We hear influences from Greek, oriental and proper rock’n’roll as well, delicately fused in with their music. In Nothing, a ”profound piece of pain” the lyrics tell the story, but Plant’s voice bring pictures to this excruciating pain he refers to when he sings with a crying voice as if it was coming from an Arabic singer.

Yet more proof that folk rocks and is as cool as any music. Why did he wait such a long time to tell us of this other musical talent of his?

Elisavet Sotiriadou

[ian fordham]

Great review, thanks.

Just a couple of things I'd like to add.

I was particularly impressed with the old Led Zep numbers, 'Battle of Evermore' and 'When the Levee Breaks', where Alison stepped effortlessly into Sandy Denny's shoes.

Also, I think it would be appropriate to give a mention to the fantastic backing band, made up of:

T Bone Burnett: guitar / vocals - and apparently musical director.

Buddy Miller: pedal steel / guitar / mandolin etc.

Stuart Duncan: Fiddle / guitar / mandolin / banjo and fretless banjo

Dennis Crouch: double bass

Jay Bellerose: drums

To be honest, none of these were names that trip off my tongue, but I was blown away by the sheer professionalism of all of them.

Fingers crossed for a live DVD ! ! ! !

[jljones]

[AndyTurner]

T Bone has produced some truly great albums...

Elvis Costello's King of America and Spike, Gillian Welch's Revival and Hell Among the Yearlings; also, I notice, records by Roy Orbison, Los Lobos and Spinal Tap!

And was musical director for both O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Cold Mountain.

Of his own music, I've only heard his eponymous 1986 LP, which is very good. Must check out some of the others listed at http://www.tboneburnett.com/music.html

[AndyTurner]

[Fee Lock]

I couldn't hear much of the support act - not sure if that was his singing or the sound - and as we were late I didn't hear their name.

As well as all the other good points, I like the fact that Plant still believes that if people pay for a show, they should get a show: we had a full 2½ hours of P&K.

Fee x

[Elisavet]