Not a damn thing to do with dogs, but I read this morning that the always great Alison Krauss and the almost-always great Robert Plant (of Led Zeppelin fame) are doing an album together, to come out in October. I am stoked. "Pickin' on Zeppelin" is one of those records people think is bizarre (or a joke) until they hear it. And then they get it.
Zeppelin, of course, is an eletric-Celtic band with an American blues influence. Turn down the reverb a bit, and cut back on the LSD, and you see it. The Zepplin version of "Gallows Pole," for example, was first performed by Jimmy Page on banjo, an instrument that is about as pure a bluegrass instrument as exists. "Gallows Pole," of course, is an old Lead Belly tune, originally called "Gallis Pole."
Robert Plant is not the first Zeppelin musician to stumble back to Bluegrass; John Paul Jones has played bit with Gillian Welch at places like Bonaroo. Bluegrass musicians, such as Alison Krause and Earl Scruggs, have worked with such Celtic groups as The Chieftains.
In any case, "Raising Sand," the new Krauss & Plant album, will be released Oct. 23 on Rounder Records, and I can hardly wait. The album may be better in concept than execution, but with T Bone Burnett doing production, and Alison in the house, and Plant's vocals still powerful and gritty, I am hopeful.
A final bit to show the power of the rock/country cross over -- of taking rock music back to the simple powerful instrumentals and voices of Country music from which so much has sprung.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Johnny Cash doing a Nine Inch Nails tune. Enjoy, ponder, and ride the wave of a voice that is pure human experience.
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