Raising Sand

元レッド・ツェッペリンのロバート・プラントが、ブルー・グラス界のディーヴァ＝アリソン・クラウスをフィーチャーしたデュエット・アルバム。R&B/ブルース/カントリー系ソングライターの隠れた名曲に加えセルフ・カヴァーもあったりと、幅広い選曲にも注目。

Uncut - 5 stars out of 5 -- "The partners' close harmonies are especially ravishing -- intimate as Gram & Emmylou on Gene Clark's 'Through The Morning, Through The Night'..." Entertainment Weekly - "They ultimately meet in a roots-rock commonwealth....[E]xercises in sublime harmony..." -- Grade: A- No Depression - "Their harmonies couldn't be more fetching on 'Killing The Blues'....The emotional landscape of RAISING SAND stretches far and wide." Down Beat - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Doc Watson's 'Your Long Journey' finds Plant and Krauss attaining a state of grace, their shared spiritual strength interlocked with sorrow over a loved one's death." Rolling Stone - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Top Albums of the Year 2007" -- "They harmonize with natural worry and warmth against a midnight Mississippi chill..." Rolling Stone - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Skilled and inspired....[With] relaxed, smoky harmonies and reverbed midtempo rockabilly..." Dirty Linen - "[O]ne listen to these songs, and you'll quickly appreciate how they -- and Burnett and the other musicians -- effortlessly blended different genres into one gorgeous stew of pop music..." Record Collector - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The pair drift in an out of the tracks, supplementing each other with subtlety and charm on a stunning set..."

American bluegrass star Alison Krauss and Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant team up for one of contemporary music's most unlikely partnerships, and in doing so create a memorable and diverse collection of lovingly crafted songs. Recorded in Los Angeles and Nashville and produced by T-Bone Burnett (Roy Orbison, Elvis Costello), the album features a stellar supporting cast of musicians and includes interpretations of classics as well as lesser known gems by songwriters such as Gene Clark and Tom Waits.|

カントリー界の歌姫、アリソン・クラウスとロバート・プラントによる異色のデュエット・アルバムを、大御所のT・ボーン・バーネットがプロデュース。両者の歌声は互いに寄り添うように優しく、再結成に沸くレッド・ツェッペリン界隈の喧騒をも吹き飛ばすような心地良さだ。ブルース～カントリー色濃厚なポップ・サウンドに、音響系っぽい隠し味をプラスしたマーク・リーボーの幽玄ギターも実に良い仕事をしています。
bounce (C)田中 幹也