Writer Stephen Humphries has compiled an interesting list of his favorite albums of the decade. He lists Robert Plant’s Dreamland, Mighty Rearranger, and Raising Sand (with Alison Krauss) as ones he would rescue first in case of fire.

Also making his list are Justin Adams, Tinariwen and Goldfrapp (Charlie Jones gig post Plant).

Enjoy the list

Rolling Stone has released their list of 100 Best Albums of the Decade. The list was compiled by polling musicians and industry folks and then tallying the result. Raising Sand came in at number 55 on the list.

On the magazine’s list of 100 Best Songs, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss show up at number 79 with “Gone Gone Gone”.

Country Music blog The 9513 is running a countdown of what they consider to be the top 100 country albums of the decade. Raising Sand comes in at number 27. Alison Krauss and Union Station also make the list at number 26 with “Lonely Runs Both Ways” from 2004.

Of Raising Sand, Sam Gazdziak writes:

The combination of Led Zeppelin’s front man with one of bluegrass’ most recognized names seemed strange, but Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, along with producer T-Bone Burnett, made it a GRAMMY-winning, platinum-selling success. The album, a collection of covers from the likes of Townes Van Zandt, The Everly Brothers and Gene Clark, featured minimal, moody instrumentation that took both artists out of their respective comfort zones. The album reached #2 on both the Billboard Country charts and the Top 200 charts. Along with its six GRAMMYs, Raising Sand made Plant one of the unlikeliest recipients of a CMA award.

Country Universe puts Raising Sand at number 26 on their list of top 100 albums of the decade. They comment:

Alison Krauss and Led Zeppelin’s front man, Robert Plant, are surely an unlikely duo. It turns out, however, that they managed to make one of the most intriguing duets projects of the decade. With vocal styles that are on opposite ends of the spectrum, they find a way to meld together to create an easy harmony that causes the listener to forget their vocal dissimilarities. Moreover, T Bone Burnett’s slow burning productions perfectly compliment this diverse set of songs to make it a legitimately cohesive record.

Recommended Tracks: “Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us”, “Please Read the Letter”, “Through the Morning, Through the Night”

NPR’s “All Songs Considered” recently released a list of what they see as the 50 most important recordings of the decade. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss made the alphabetical list with Raising Sand.

Meredith Ochs writes:

The pairing of a bona fide rock god with a Grammy-hoarding bluegrass darling raised eyebrows, not sand. But Robert Plant’s love of deep blues and Krauss’ roots-music credibility are well-matched on this 2007 collection of moody Americana. Producer T-Bone Burnett is the catalyst, choosing the material and the players. His snaky sonic stamp gives Raising Sand its vibe, while Plant’s subdued classic-rock caterwaul fits perfectly under and over Krauss’ honey-sweet vocals.

Sun Media’s James Reaney posted a story in the Standard-Freeholder about Mel Tillis’ reaction to his song “Stick With Me Baby” being recorded by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. The story says in part:

“It was just recorded by a person that I’ve never of, Robert Plant,” Tillis says. “He cut a duet with Alison Krauss. He did it and last count it’s over two million albums.”

British rock superstar Plant and roots music superstar Krauss teamed on the multi-Grammy-winning Raising Sand. Tillis carefully checks the album’s title with his staff.

He doesn’t need to check where Plant found Raising Sand’s 10th track. “He heard that song in England. I’ll tell you how he heard it,” Tillis says. “That was on the back side of Temptation by the Everly Brothers … Over in England, Stick With Me Baby was the hit and he heard that over there away back when he was just a young man.”

Uncut Magazine has released a Top 20 Albums of the ’00s list and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss land at #6 with Raising Sand.

See the list.

The 2009 TEC Awards were held on October 10, 2009 in New York. The award for Tour Sound Production was given to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss–the Raising Sand Tour. Raising Sand won a TEC award in 2008 for Record Production/Album.

The Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards (TEC) is the foremost program recognizing the achievements of audio professionals. The TEC Awards honor the individuals, companies and technical innovations behind the sound of recordings, films, TV shows and live performances. The Hall of Fame honors pioneers of audio. TEC Awards contributes thousands of dollars each year to fund scholarships for future audio professionals. They also contribute to organizations working on behalf of hearing conservation.

Kim Morgan, writing in the Huffington Post, reveals that actor Vince Vaughn has a soft spot for country music. And during the interview, he had praise for the Raising Sand tour. Vaughn said:

To me, the thing that I liked about the tour that Robert Plant did with Alison Krauss was that he really went out of his way to talk about American roots music. They were trying to sound like the old Appalachian singers and a lot of the blues singers and that’s really who their idols were. What was wonderful about that show is that they played a lot of those Led Zeppelin songs Appalachian style. It was really, really beautiful.

Read the article.

This week marks the 10th Anniversary Americana Music Festival and Conference taking place in Nashville, TN. In an interview with Peter Cooper for the Tennessean, Jed Hilly talks about how Americana music is gaining ground. He uses the Robert Plant / Alison Krauss collaboration “Raising Sand” as an example.

Cooper writes in part:

When Plant and Alison Krauss won five Grammy Awards last winter, with an album that included songs from Americana forerunner Townes Van Zandt and country hero Mel Tillis, Plant said he was refreshed by his exposure to a kind of music that appealed to those with discerning tastes.

“It’s great to be considered to be part of the movement that is healthy and has some discrimination,” he said. “My exposure that was begun by these two (pointing to Krauss and producer T Bone Burnett) continued through the Americana Association in Nashville. There’s some great stuff there, and I’m so pleased to be associated with it.”

Read the article.

Blogger Morgan Young in “On the Flip-Side” examines “Gone, Gone, Gone” from the perspective of the original Everly Brothers version. Young also examines Robert’s stylistic changes on the song, writing in part:

My paradigm of appreciation for Robert Plant changed in one instant. Plant’s vocal style has been totally contradictory to that of the Everly Brothers. Plant is famous for big, rounded, swoops to hit the note he is seeking. I think he would tell you that. But on this song — and the album — he sings in a more traditional country style — jagged, right angles. A style performed to perfection by the freakishly tight harmonies of the Everly Brothers. The change in Plant’s style on Raising Sand is a necessity because of his collaboration with country singer, Krauss. You can’t harmonize with big, looping vocal swells. You need to hit the note and hit it hard and fast. Plant still gets in some of those swells on this song in between harmonies, but for the most part, he is sticking the note nicely.

Read the entire article.