Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are back on the road together

The two recount in an interview how their reunion on stage has gone since they released the album “Raise the Roof” in November.

The story of why Robert Plant e Alison Krauss it took so long to follow up on their acclaimed Grammy-winning debut album, Raise the sand, 2007, remains unclear. Press them in separate interviews and you will be told the need to “take stock” or engagements or “wait for the right time.” Okay, we give up. But don’t blame us for wanting to know why these two, who sing so well together and clearly get along, took so long to do it again.

In November they released Raise the roofproduced by T-Bone Burnett, his long-awaited second album, with covers of songs by, among others, Merle Haggard, The Everly Brothers, Bobby Moore, Bert Jansch And Geeshie Wiley. The duo is on tour now.

We spoke to Plant on Zoom and to Krauss on the phone. These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.

I always see people saying this is a very quirky combination. Not sure if I agree. Robert has always embraced bluegrass and root music. You were an MTV girl. You looked at your solo material in the 80s.

Krauss: Well, when we first talked about singing together, it was weird. What do we do? Well, let’s try. Will we spend three days in the studio and see what we find? And it was a very, very light thing and I knew from our first meeting that he was a huge fan Ralph Stanley. And in the 1970s he was driving through the Appalachians listening to one of my favorite records. Whenever someone gives bluegrass he asks me how it is and I tell him this story, they love him. If you know that record, Clinch Mountain Gospelyou know how.

Robert, the song “Last Kind Words Blues” by Geeshie Wiley is very disturbing. I remember hearing it for the first time in that ‘Crumb’ documentary. Did you bring it to Alison?

Plant: Well, you know, this conversation could be like, who said what, what time and who was playing the bass? Who brought the tea Bobby Moore while he was tuning his saxophone? Of course I was aware of the song and I think it came from a conversation with T-Bone, to be honest, because, as you say, it’s a very unique song.

The first time you and Alison recorded, it sounded like you listened to Gene Clark a lot. This time we have two songs we know by Bert Jansch. They are sung in a very specific way. Very traditional English folk style.

Plant: If you hear Jansch’s voice and hear Robin Williamson or someone from [The Incredible] Band of strings, there is a Gaelic slant in the way they enunciate. and the scene popular british is particularly specific, it has no glissando, it has no flat thirds, the types of blue notes that I’ve spent my life using. So I have to think … how do I sing this? It is a surrender. It is not a tribute. It’s just a song from me. It’s a beautiful song (Go your way) that I brought to the table. As with It does not bother me.

Alison, Robert talks about how he is a terrible harmony singer and yet you two sing beautifully together. I would like to understand what he is talking about.

Krauss: He never sings the same thing twice, he’s very free, he improvises on the spot. Like a jazz musician who constantly channels something. Coming from where I’m from, in bluegrass everyone sings very, very coherently, so you don’t get beaten up by your other singing buddies.

Plant: You are a master at your craft and I am a master at not doing the same thing twice. So it’s a collision. And we found it a lot of fun. And even now, during rehearsals, I decide to go in a different direction. She looks at me, raises her eyebrows and starts laughing. We had a day off yesterday and she texted me and said, “Do you want to go through these harmonies?” I said: “No chance”.

Is it stressful trying to fit in while the way she sings changes?

Krauss: There is no automatic pilot. In the bluegrass, where I grew up, you are very direct where you put the parts. Paths do not cross, you do not jump to the parts below. So it’s just a different thing. It’s like learning something new. It is not stressful. Fun at times, but not stressful.

There is a particular song that you would say, hey, if you listen to us for four nights, it will sound different every time.

Krauss: I think some of them.

What if “Raising Sand” hadn’t won all those Grammys and sold so well? What if it was just a small album that some people knew? Would you have done it again immediately? Because I understand, Robert, that you are a person who does not like to do the same things twice. Especially when someone says it might work.

Plant: Well, you know, I was studying to be an accountant when I was 17, and that went on for six months. Then I fell in love with an Indian woman. I mean, you just … There are so many. If you can sing a note and hold it, you don’t go very far and just see what you can do. Keep moving. So I left Patty Griffin And friend Miller and Alison left. We saw each other from time to time. We have always stayed in touch.

As you are doing with Alison, the third album of the two of you will be out around 2036.

Plant: When I am 88 years old. Ahahah.

TRANSLATION LÍVIA BUELONI GONÇALVES

Source: Terra

Emily

Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.