What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music.....

After The Gold Rush -- CD

Neil Young

1970/1990 Reprise Records

Neil Young's third solo album followed his Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young masterpiece Déjà Vu. Top 10 and double platinum, with the Top 40 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' and his condemnation of racism in 'Southern Man,' 1970's After The Gold Rush has been ranked among the '100 Greatest Albums Of All Time' by both Rolling Stone and Time magazine.

All songs written by Neil Young except when noted
Side one

"Tell Me Why" — 2:54
"After the Gold Rush" — 3:45
"Only Love Can Break Your Heart" — 3:05
"Southern Man" — 5:31
"Till the Morning Comes" — 1:17

Side two

"Oh Lonesome Me" (Don Gibson) — 3:47
"Don't Let It Bring You Down" — 2:56
"Birds" — 2:34
"When You Dance I Can Really Love" — 4:05
"I Believe in You" — 3:24
"Cripple Creek Ferry" — 1:34

 

[Dennie]

Sleeping With A Stranger -- CD

James Armstrong

1995 Hightone Records

James Armstrong deserves to be heard, April 27, 2009
By D. Snyder "blues wallow" (Salem Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Sleeping With A Stranger (Audio CD)

His beautiful guitar phrasing and tone are spot on (nothing too flashy, just good honest feeling with great style). Although I think his songwriting is somewhat weaker than his playing, this is still a recording that is worth having. I decided to order a copy after hearing "the devil's livin' there" on xm radio. This song displays a nice combination of acoustic rhythm guitar backing up his electric strat like sound (oh yeah, the B3 is not bad either). While this is the highlight of the album for me, the whole album has gotten better. While some songs aren't quite as good as others, I wouldn't say that there is a weak one on the album. His voice is strong and heartfelt and his playing is excellent. Everything from well crafted slow burning blues ballads such as "midnight again" to up tempo blues rock of "six bar city". This disc fits nicely in any blues collection. I am going to buy more of this artist's recordings, and I am happy to recommend this one.

Track Listing
1. Sleeping with a Stranger
2. From Time to Time
3. Hard, Hard Blues
4. Midnight Again
5. Baby's Catwalkin'
6. Devil's Livin' There, The
7. Don't Kiss and Tell
8. Wrong Address
9. Six Bar City
10. Away from Home
11. That Kind of Feeling
12. Devil's Moon

 

[Dennie]

Heavy Picks - Collection -- CD

The Robert Cray Band

1999 Mercury Records

Throughout the '80s, Robert Cray and Stevie Ray Vaughan were heralded as the "new hopes" for the blues. Although Vaughan's fiery blues-based playing made this sobriquet more appropriate, Cray's style took as much from Memphis soul as it did Chicago blues. HEAVY PICKS compiles the cream of Cray's material released between 1980 and 1997.
Combining a fluid guitar sound and a creamy vocal style, Robert Cray wrote music often based on the fragility of relationships between men and women. His high-caliber songwriting not only found Cray being covered by the likes of Albert King ("Phone Booth") and Eric Clapton ("Bad Influence"), but also landed him in the Top 40 ("Smoking Gun"). Although covers of Willie Dixon ("Too Many Cooks") and Otis Redding ("Trick or Treat") bridged the blues and soul divide, Cray's R&B strengths leapt out more in his collaborations with the Memphis Horns. On songs such as "Consequences," "Forecast (Calls for Pain)," and "I Guess I Showed Her," Cray's singing not only channels the influence of soul legend O.V. Wright, but his crisp guitar playing also points to Steve Cropper's Stax/Volt legacy.

Track listing

1. Phone Booth - Cray, Robert Band
2. Forecast (Calls for Pain) - Cray, Robert Band
3. Smoking Gun - Cray, Robert Band
4. Playin' in the Dirt - Cray, Robert Band
5. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark - Cray, Robert Band
6. Too Many Cooks - Cray, Robert Band
7. The Dream - Cray, Robert Band
8. Right Next Door (Because of Me) - Cray, Robert Band
9. Consequences - Cray, Robert Band
10. Bad Influence - Cray, Robert Band
11. I Guess I Showed Her - Cray, Robert Band
12. I Shiver - Cray, Robert Band
13. Trick or Treat - Cray, Robert Band
14. I Was Warned - Cray, Robert Band

 

[Dennie]

Sample This -- CD

Joe Sample

1997 Warner Bros. Records

Great jazz CD, May 31, 2004
By N. Frangie "noussa78" (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Sample This (Audio CD)

I first heard of Joe Sample when I listened to Soul Shadows, and I instantly loved it! There's lots of piano, my favorite instrument, and I'm a growing fan of jazz music. The tracks on this CD are light, classy and enjoyable. I'm Coming Back Again, Soul Shadows and Street Life are my favorites. Most of the CD contains instrumental tracks, and some, including the ones listed above, are sung by either Joe Sample or guest artists. Get this CD!!! It's great.

1. Rainbow Seeker II

2. I'm Coming Back Again
3. Carmel
4. Night Flight
5. Chain Reaction
6. Soul Shadows
7. In All My Wildest Dreams
8. Free As The Wind
9. Snowflake
10. It Happens Everyday
11. Street Life
12. Put It Where You Want It
13. Fly With Wings Of Love
14. Melodies Of Love
15. Shreveport Stomps

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening......

Conferring With The Moon -- CD

William Ackerman

1986 Windham Hill Records

Intense, November 14, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Conferring With the Moon (Audio CD)

In the liner notes to this release, Ackerman writes of trying to understand love with the moon's help: "Now I remember clearly that I knew, but I have no memory of what I knew." This sums up the way I feel after listening to this album. I learn something, but I cannot place my finger on just what that something is. This is the single best work of William Ackerman's career thus far. It was also, luckily enough, the first one I heard.

I discovered this album at my local library, attracted by the title, the gray cover (of the original CD release) and the stark forest photograph on the front. Listening to it changed my life. The title track is seven and a half minutes of "unrequited love and misery," as Ackerman writes. Guitar, bass, violin, and the amazing sound of the lyricon mix to create something completely fresh, familiar and yet distant. The musical theme of this song is so deeply stirring. The rest of the album continues this mood, but in many different ways. There is nothing weak about this album.

The original vinyl release, which I also have, is missing (for space reasons) two tracks: "Processional," Ackerman's third and best recording of this piece, and "Garage Planet," a minimalist, multilayered effort. Buy the CD for the full experience. This music will carry you to so many different places. From the tranquil pan-pipes of "Lago de Montanas" to the soaring heights of "Climbing in Geometry," which features a memorable contribution by pianist Ira Stein, each piece is something new, but tied in to the recurring theme of love and loss and sadness and mixed emotions. Another personal highlight is "Singing Crocodile," which Ackerman admits he subconsciously drew from a Creole lullaby. Original or not, the piece is hauntingly beautiful. The album ends with a solo reprise of "Conferring with the Moon," which is not gratuitous but in fact a perfect ending for this watershed of an album.
Once heard, this album will not leave your memory.

1. Conferring with the Moon
2. Improv 2
3. Lago de Montañas (Mountain Lake)
4. Big Thing in the Sky (For Jess)
5. Climbing in Geometry
6. The Last Day at the Beach
7. Singing Crocodile
8. Processional
9. Shape of the Land
10. Garage Planet
11. Conferring with the Moon (Solo)

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music.....

The World Is A Ghetto -- CD

War

1972/1992 UA/Avenue Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Best known for its distinctive fusion of Latin-flavored jazz, funk, rock, and soul, War was unquestionably one of the most successful fusion bands to emerge in the early '70s. Initially working with Eric Burdon, former lead singer with the British '60s band the Animals, the seven-member team enjoyed a commercial breakthrough with 1971's "All Day Music." The follow-up, The World Is a Ghetto took War mainstream thanks to the crossover success of the title track, a top 10 pop and R&B smash as 1972 became 1973. Cuts like the 13-minute-plus jazz-flavored adventure known as "City, Country, City" alongside the witty "Where Was You At" and the eerie "Four Cornered Room" were standouts on the six-track album. But it was the immediacy of the No. 2 pop single "The Cisco Kid," with its catchy hook that helped give the band a chart-topping No. 1 gold-selling album in 1973, arguably the best representation of its work as groove pioneers of the day. --David Nathan

"The Cisco Kid" – 4:35
"Where Was You At" – 3:25
"City, Country, City" – 13:18
"Four Cornered Room" – 8:30
"The World Is a Ghetto" – 10:10
"Beetles in the Bog" – 3:51

 

[Dennie]

Sad News Today:

Etta James Dead at 73. RIP Etta, your music has touched my Soul!



Dennie

 

[Dennie]

Tell Mama: The Complete Muscle Shoals Sessions -- CD

Etta James

2001 MCA Records

Having already been an established leading soul singer for 13 years and having 18 R&B hits to her name, in 1967 Etta went to record in Alabama at the legendary Muscle Shoals studio. The result was her most accomplished album, on which her voice had been mixed to perfection, allowing her to sound strong on the previously distorted high notes. James was rightly seen in a different light as one of the great soul voices of all time as she belted out powerful tracks such as "The Love Of My Man" and "Watch Dog." Her slower numbers were equally arresting, including the wonderful "I'd Rather Go Blind."

Side one

"Tell Mama" – (Clarence Carter, Marcus Daniel, Wilbur Terrell) 2:20
"I'd Rather Go Blind" – (Bill Foster, Ellington Jordan) 2:33
"Watch Dog" – (Don Covay) 2:06
"Love of My Man" – (Ed Townsend) 2:37
"I'm Gonna Take What He's Got" – (Covay) 2:32
"The Same Rope" – (Leonard Caston, Jr., Lloyd Webster) 2:39

Side two

"Security" – (Otis Redding, Margaret Wessen) 2:44
"Steal Away" – (Jimmy Hughes) 2:19
"My Mother In-Law" – (George David, Lee Diamond) 2:20
"Don't Lose Your Good Thing" – (Rick Hall) 2:26
"It Hurts Me So Much" – (Charles Chalmers) 2:34
"Just a Little Bit" – (Ralph Bass, Buster Brown, John Thornton, Fats Washington) 2:11

 

[PaulyT]

Sad News Today:

Etta James Dead at 73. RIP Etta, your music has touched my Soul!



Dennie

Aww man, that sucks. Knew she was ill... but dang. RIP Etta.

 

[Dennie]

Inner City Blues -- CD

Doc Powell

1994 West Coast Records

First release, and his best., August 22, 2000
By Torquemada "dunlopilo" (Atlanta, Georgia USA / Madrid, Spain.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Inner City Blues (Audio CD)

There are two fine guitarists I like a lot that came up at the same time and released their albums also almost simultaneously, until one of them passed away. I am refering to Zachary Breaux and Doc Powell.

Doc's first album is an EXTRAORDINARY one !

First of all, it shows how talented this man is with his guitar. The opening track ("Bahamma Momma"), "new day" or "On the other side" are good examples of virtuosity (sharp and rapid playing).

Second, the album is intelligently balanced : instrumentals, vocal contributions, tribute (to Eric Gale), cover version...without being pasty or cheesy or sounding overproduced, a very common thing in this genre, you will agree.

Third, the contribution of invited artists is one of the best I've ever seen : Philip Bailey (EWF), Jeffrey Osborne, Siedah Garrett and Howard Hewett (Shalamar) are PERFECT on vocals. Kirk Whalum on sax, Ronnie Laws on sax, Ronnie Foster on organ, Bob James on piano, Patrice Rushen also on piano... AND, all of these artists on different tracks, of equal quality. Some think that just having a great lineup of artists that just play two notes is a guarantee by itself that the album is going to a) be great, b) sell more. On this album, everyone really does something. Who can give more ?

Fourth, the cover of Marvin's "Inner city blues" is a great one, and you know as well as I do that many cover versions are often flavourless, thus don't mean much, or are literally ridiculous. I could go on with several other reasons, but why don't you get this cd instead ? You like the vocalists featured on the album ? You like great sounds ? Then you must have this one.

The album is from 1994, and I still enjoy listening to it today. That might be a final clue...

Track Listing
1. Bahama Momma
2. All This Love
3. Alone With You
4. Mister Magic 1994
5. Song for You, A
6. New Day
7. Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)
8. For Old Times Sake
9. On the Other Side
10. Soul Strut
11. Sade's Song
12. We'll Make It Last

 

[Dennie]

A Momentary Lapse of Reason -- CD

Pink Floyd

1987/1997 Columbia

Amazon.com

Though many predicted that Roger Waters's acrimonious split with the band after 1983's aptly named Final Cut would ultimately spell the end of Pink Floyd, the remaining band members confounded pundits by extending their status as classic rock's most ponderous dinosaurs into the 1990s and beyond. And if the title was a gentle jab at Waters after a years-long legal struggle over the Floyd moniker, the music was all too familiar; some would say even formulaic. And lest anyone doubted that the absence of Waters's dour soul would lighten things up a bit, guitarist and post facto leader Dave Gilmour gamely took on the Mantle of Conscience for topics ranging from the cold war ("The Dogs of War") to yuppie self-indulgence ("On the Turning Away"). And if this album sometimes evokes an uncomfortable feeling of a band on autopilot, it's one that can still turn out the likes of the anthemic "Learning to Fly" on cruise control. --Jerry McCulley

1. Signs of Life [Instrumental]
2. Learning to Fly
3. Dogs of War
4. One Slip
5. On the Turning Away
6. Yet Another Movie/Round and Around
7. New Machine, Pt. 1
8. Terminal Frost
9. New Machine, Pt. 2
10. Sorrow

 

[Dennie]

Moondance -- CD

Van Morrison

1970/1990 Warner Bros. Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Van Morrison went a long way towards defining his wild Irish heart with his first two classic albums: the brooding, introspective Astral Weeks (1968), and the expansive, swinging Moondance. If the first was the work of a poet, its sequel was the statement of a musician and bandleader. Moondance is that rare rock album where the band has buffed the arrangements to perfection, and where the sax solos instead of the guitar. The band puts out a jazzy shuffle on "Moondance" and plays it soulful on "These Dreams of You." The album includes both Morrison's most romantic ballad ("Crazy Love") and his most haunting ("Into the Mystic"). "And It Stoned Me" rolled off Morrison's tongue like a favorite fable, while "Caravan" told a tale full of emotional intrigue. Moondance stood out in the rock world of 1970 like a grownup in a kiddie matinee. --John Milward

Side one

"And It Stoned Me" – 4:30
"Moondance" – 4:35
"Crazy Love" – 2:34
"Caravan" – 4:57
"Into the Mystic" – 3:25

Side two

"Come Running" – 2:30
"These Dreams of You" – 3:50
"Brand New Day" – 5:09
"Everyone" – 3:31
"Glad Tidings" – 3:13

 

[Dennie]

Lady & Gentlemen -- CD

Leann Rimes

Sept. 27th, 2011 Curb Records

Her best album in years, September 27, 2011
By Patrick (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
This review is from: Lady & Gentlemen (Audio CD)

I think this is a really great album. If you like COUNTRY, not country-pop, not country-rock, this album is for you. It's very classic country. The songs are relatively short and tell simple stories. LeAnn's voice shines on this album like it hasn't before. I really think her voice has matured and is in it's prime right now. She's always had a strong voice but I think it's at its best right now.

The standout songs for me are "16 Tons" "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" and "I Can't Be Myself." But the song I keep going back to is "Help Me Make It Through The Night." That is a BEAUTIFUL song and LeAnn sings it with so much emotion.

1. "Swingin'" John Anderson, Lionel Delmore 3:02
2. "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" Wayne Duncan, Freddy Fender, Huey P. Meaux 4:06
3. "The Only Mama That'll Walk The Line" Jimmy Bryant 2:39
4. "I Can't Be Myself" Merle Haggard 3:12
5. "16 Tons" George S. Davis 2:42
6. "Help Me Make It Through the Night" Kris Kristofferson 3:01
7. "Rose Colored Glasses" John Conlee, George Baber 3:06
8. "A Good Hearted Woman" Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson 3:40
9. "When I Call Your Name" Vince Gill, Tim DuBois 3:41
10. "He Stopped Loving Her Today" Bobby Braddock, Curly Putman 3:51
11. "Blue" (with Time Jumpers) Bill Mack 2:34
12. "The Bottle Let Me Down" Merle Haggard 3:49
Bonus Tracks
No. Title Writer(s) Length
13. "Crazy Women" Brandy Clark, Jessie Jo Dillon, Shane McAnally 3:25
14. "Give" Connie Harrington, Sonya Isaacs, Jimmy Yeary 4:31

 

[Dennie]

At Carnegie Hall -- CD

Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane

2005 Blue Note Records

Amazon.com
Every year sees a crop of newly found jazz gems, but rarely are listeners treated to anything as special as this 1957 concert recording of Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane, which was accidentally discovered in an unmarked box by a Library of Congress engineer early in 2005. Until now, fans could only dream of hearing these two immortals play together beyond the three studio tracks they left behind. But here they are, hitting their stride at an all-star benefit concert, basking in the chemistry they had developed in Monk's quartet during the preceding weeks at New York's Five Spot. Coltrane's playing is a revelation. He's both an inspired accompanist and a galvanizing soloist, taking the music to new heights with his bold, brilliantly challenging, and sometimes jaw-dropping phrases, note clusters, and blasts of power. Sharing with Coltrane a newfound sense of freedom following the personal and professional troubles that had plagued them both, Monk is clearly tickled to be in the tenorist's presence, injecting humorous commentaries and otherwise asserting his eccentric genius as a pianist. The material, which was very well recorded by the Voice of America, includes Monk classics like "Epistrophy," "Monk's Moods," and "Evidence," as well as a striking rendition of the standard "Sweet and Lovely." This is music that not only bears repeated listenings, but also demands them--the ultimate definition of a classic. --Lloyd Sachs

"Monk's Mood" – 7:52
"Evidence" – 4:41
"Crepuscule With Nellie" – 4:26
"Nutty" – 5:03
"Epistrophy" – 4:29
"Bye-Ya" – 6:31
"Sweet & Lovely" – 9:34
"Blue Monk" – 6:31
"Epistrophy" (incomplete) – 2:24

-----

Thelonious Monk – piano
John Coltrane – tenor saxophone
Ahmed Abdul-Malik – bass
Shadow Wilson – drums

 

[Dennie]

Sonny Rollins Plus 4 -- CD

Sonny Rollins

1956/2007 Prestige Records

Amazon.com

The tenor saxophonist is listed as the leader, but Sonny Rollins Plus Four is nothing other than the Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet recording for a different label (Prestige rather than Emarcy) in 1956 mere months before Brown's tragic death at age 25 in a car crash. One of the great ensembles in jazz history, the Quintet shows its inventiveness and rhythmic daring were at their peak in such numbers as "Valse Hot" and Rollins's "Pent-Up House." The only flaw of the 32-minute album is that it--like Clifford Brown's life--is too short. --David Horiuchi

All tracks by Sonny Rollins except where noted.

"Valse Hot" – 8:36
"Kiss and Run" (Coslow) – 7:08
"I Feel a Song Coming On" (Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh, George Oppenheimer) – 5:13
"Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)" (Berlin) – 2:30
"Pent-Up House" – 8:50
------
Sonny Rollins - Tenor Saxophone
Clifford Brown - Trumpet
Max Roach - Drums
Richie Powell - Piano
George Morrow - Bass

 

[topper]

*************
Hey, Dennie, how does this one stack up compared to some of his others?

I've heard his music and liked it, but don't own any . . .
The description sound good.

A good one for a first timer?

 

[Dennie]

*************
Hey, Dennie, how does this one stack up compared to some of his others?

I've heard his music and liked it, but don't own any . . .
The description sound good.

A good one for a first timer?

Yes Sir, with this one being a "Collection", I think it is a great place to start. :handgestures-thumbup:



Dennie

 

[Dennie]

Live In Paris -- CD

Diana Krall

2002 Verve Records

Jazz Heroin(e), November 14, 2002
By Neil T. Moskowitz "Stephen's evil twin" (Centerport, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Live in Paris (Audio CD)

This album runs the risk of being classified a Schedule 1 drug by the FDA for its remarkable addictive potential. Yes, Diana Krall is like aural heroin on this electrifying CD. Her pacing, her rich, sultry voice and her impeccable pianistic skills shine like very few artists around today. I have played piano for nearly 50 years (God, am I THAT old?) and find that I simply MUST play along with this album every time I listen to it. This is also one of the best recorded live albums I have ever heard from an audiophile perspective. My system seduces me into believing that she is literally playing in my living room along with her great backup musicians. I saw her live at the Algonquin Hotel in New York about 5 years ago and the verve, swing and intimacy that I heard at that concert are clearly in evidence here on this cd. It looks like this brief review will be one of many 5 star ones for this album. It is certain to be a classic. Buy one, but if you don't have any money, this album is so good...

"I Love Being Here With You" (Peggy Lee, William Schluger) – 5:12
"Let's Fall in Love" (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) – 4:34
"'Deed I Do" (Walter Hirsch, Fred Rose) – 5:17
"The Look of Love" (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) – 5:00
"East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)" (Brooks Bowman) – 5:58
"I've Got You Under My Skin" (Cole Porter) – 7:24
"Devil May Care" (Bob Dorough, Terrell Kirk) – 6:52
"Maybe You'll Be There" (Rube Bloom, Sammy Gallop) – 5:47
"'S Wonderful" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 5:59
"Fly Me to the Moon" (Bart Howard) – 6:05
"A Case of You" (Joni Mitchell) – 7:04
"Just the Way You Are" (Billy Joel) – 5:00 (Bonus track standard edition)

 

[Dennie]

Smile -- CD

Brian Wilson

2004 Nonesuch Records

Amazon.com
The Greatest Album That Never Was finally is. The Beach Boys' uncompleted 1967 album Smile has remained the elusive touchstone of Brian Wilson's brilliant, star-crossed career for decades. Artistic Holy Grail and troubling professional Waterloo for Wilson, a tantalizing prism of unfulfilled promise to his loyal cadre of fans, its story has become pop music's Rashomon. Finally completed via spring 2004 recordings with his stellar, longtime touring band (none of the original '60s sessions were used, though they've been recreated here with often stunning authenticity), it's arguably as alien to contemporary pop as it might have seemed in its intended '67 context--even to ears freshly primed by the glories of Pet Sounds.

Collaborator Van *** Parks's impressionistic, often mischievous lyrics conjure a collage of arcane 19th-century Americana that's equal parts artful ellipse and aloof nostalgia. But wed to Wilson's innovative composition and recording techniques (echoing beat author William Burroughs's fabled cut 'n' paste methodology and exemplified by the modular "Good Vibrations"), the resulting semisuite confections challenge the boundaries of both song and album form, but with an insouciant charm that's as different from Pet Sounds as that landmark was from "I Get Around." Turns out those hypothetical comparisons to Sgt. Pepper's weren't so far off the mark. --Jerry McCulley

All songs written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks, except where noted.

"Our Prayer/Gee" (Brian Wilson/William Davis and Morris Levy) – 2:09
"Heroes and Villains" – 4:53
"Roll Plymouth Rock" – 3:48
"Barnyard" – 0:58
"Old Master Painter/You Are My Sunshine" (Haven Gillespie and Beasley Smith/Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell) – 1:04
"Cabin Essence" – 3:27
"Wonderful" – 2:07
"Song for Children" – 2:16
"Child Is Father of the Man" – 2:18
"Surf's Up" – 4:07
"I'm in Great Shape/I Wanna Be Around/Workshop" (Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks/Johnny Mercer and Sadie Vimmerstedt/Brian Wilson) – 1:56
"Vega-Tables" – 2:19
"On a Holiday" – 2:36
"Wind Chimes" – 2:54
"Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" (Brian Wilson) – 2:27
"In Blue Hawaii" – 3:00
"Good Vibrations" (Brian Wilson, Tony Asher and Mike Love) – 4:36

 

[Dennie]

The Odd Couple....... :eusa-clap:

Raising Sand -- CD

Robert Plant - Alison Krauss

2007 Rounder Records

Those who find the pairing of '70s rock god Robert Plant with contemporary bluegrass queen Alison Krauss unlikely have probably not been paying attention to Plant's latter-day work, which is full of intimate, acoustic-flavored balladry. While the organic-sounding, low-key Plant/Krauss collaboration, RAISING SAND, is a far cry from Led Zeppelin's stadium rock, it offers up some hauntingly moody textures that should appeal to "Battle of Evermore" admirers.

Consisting mostly of sagely chosen cover tunes, the album finds Plant and Krauss bringing their warm-but-eerie harmonies to everything from Townes Van Zandt's nihilistic folk poetry ("Nothin'") to the crumbled beauty of latter-day Tom Waits ("Trampled Rose"). Determined not to rest on their laurels or cater to expectations, the 59-year-old icon and his junior partner craft a subtle and intriguing sound built on their shared love of folk forms and gift for interpretation, bringing to light esoteric gems by late Byrds visionary Gene Clark and the Everly Brothers along the way as well.

1. "Rich Woman" Dorothy LaBostrie, McKinley Millet 4:04
2. "Killing the Blues" Roly Jon Salley 4:16
3. "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us" Sam Phillips 3:26
4. "Polly Come Home" Gene Clark 5:36
5. "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" Don Everly, Phil Everly 3:33
6. "Through the Morning, Through the Night" Gene Clark 4:01
7. "Please Read the Letter" Charlie Jones, Michael Lee, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant 5:53
8. "Trampled Rose" Kathleen Brennan, Tom Waits 5:34
9. "Fortune Teller" Naomi Neville 4:30
10. "Stick With Me Baby" Mel Tillis 2:50
11. "Nothin'" Townes Van Zandt 5:33
12. "Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson" Milton Campbell 4:02
13. "Your Long Journey" Doc Watson, Rosa Lee Watson 3:55