I don’t know how long it’s been since I actually knew, owned, and liked the recording that dominated the Grammy Awards. That would be “Raising Sand,” the unlikely collaboration between Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.
Robert Plant is the 60-year-old veteran of the pioneering metal group Led Zeppellin. (I liked them in my college days but soon grew out of them.) Alison Krauss is the bluegrass fiddler with an ethereal country voice. (I’ve been a fan of hers ever since I’ve gone country a couple of decades ago.) In their album, which took five Grammys including best album and best single, Alison pulls Robert into the country orbit, not vice versa. It’s a fine, fine album, and definitely a country album.
I have already heard complaints that “sentiment trumped artistry,” which is utterly absurd. Yes, “Raising Sand” arguably does not capture the times we live in, but Alison Krauss has more sheer artistry in her bow hand than nearly everyone else who got up there on the stage combined.
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