I've been listening to an amazing album lately... An unlikely collaboration between three musical giants.
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss : Raising Sand
(Produced by T-Bone Burnett)
Alison Krauss is a bluegrass legend in the states, and has won 21 Grammy awards for her music. Robert Plant can't be missed, he was the frontman for Led Zeppelin. T-Bone Burnett is a name that you might not recognize, but he has written songs and produced albums that are a part of our cultural fabric.
Here is the first single off the album Raising Sand.
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Gone Gone Gone (Live)
The reviews for the album are almost universally glowing. I had to give it a couple of chances to really start appreciating what I was hearing. And not in the sense that I'm regurgitating the reviews I read before buying it, but from a sense of empathy for what I'm hearing, and feeling like I really connect to this music somehow. It's very narrative music, sometimes haunting, sometimes humorous and heartbreaking. It's such a unique and seemingly delicate joining of vastly different styles that just works. I wonder if I could have appreciated this album earlier in my life. I might just be at a certain point where these rhythms and melodies kind of resonate with my earlier experiences. Hearing phrases of some of these songs is like catching a familiar scent while walking down the street.
I had to find out more.
So I hit YouTube and found some interviews that kind of inform us about where these musicians are coming from. Now here's a caveat, these musicians are extremely knowledgeable and are working from a lot of experience, so I can really only touch the surface, but I'm going to embed some of the references that they make in interviews.
For example, Alison Krauss referred to Ralph Stanley in that very first video I showed. If out of all the musicians in the world he's important enough to name in a promo video i have to hear it.
I don't know what your opinion is about this type of music but you need to know that I come from a small town in the country, in South Texas, so I feel pretty much at home with sounds similar to these. Of course my heart is with Rock and Roll, but we'll get to that. Rock comes from Country, it comes from the Blues.
That song reminded me of "Nobody's Fault but Mine," I think originally by Blind Willie Johnson.
I don't know who the performer is here:
Here's Zeppelin doing it:
Nina Simone does an amazing version also.
But I digress...
Here's another interview where we get a hint of where the producer T-Bone and Plant gives some more insight into the music they love:
Robert Plant, T-Bone Burnett, Alison Krauss on Charlie Rose
T-Bone Quoting Ringo talking about playing with the Beatles
"It was just the four of us with God sitting in the middle."
"Take Me" - Tammy Wynette and George Jones.
Here is one last interview before we set this down to digest a bit.
I've done a bit of research and here's a recording of theoriginal version from Cornwall.
Thank you so much to Raymond Crooke for a faithful rendition of an ancient song.
218. Hangman, Hangman (Child 95) - (Traditional)
Here's a bit more about the story:
Niamh and Grandpa Bill are offering a new final verse. This is quite respectable, as there have been many variations on the song, and we get a bit of education from it.
Let's learn a bit about Leadbelly, shall we?
Leadbelly - Gallis Pole
Led Zepplin - Gallows Pole
Let's leave it there for now. As you can see, delving into the history of any musician's work can reveal links to cultures that we wouldn't normally think of. Everything is connected, especially when it comes to art.
Thanks for reading and watching, and please leave a comment or suggestion!
BONUS LEADBELLY CONNECTION
Leadbelly - Where Did you Sleep Last Night
Nirvana- Where Did You Sleep Last Night (Live)
