Who and where does someone come up with the idea of pairing ROCK GOD/LEGEND Robert Plant with bluegrass queen Alison Krauss? Well, it’s a stroke of pure GENIUS! The album has sublime harmonies, subtle and sparse vocals, and a moody beauty, a beauty that hides an underlying growl from both artists. Both Plant and Krauss are up front on the mix, neither supporting the other. Their solos soar and their harmonies are two voices singing as one. With T-Bone Burnett as producer, Raising Sand mixes effortlessly the old and new, from blues to country to folk. A timeless recording, it is difficult to pick which songs are new and which are decades old. Highlights of a truly outstanding album are Rich Woman, Please Read the Letter, Nothin and the beautiful Celtic-inspired Your Long Journey. Robert Plant’s old vocal leanings even rub off on Krauss who delivers a powerful performance on “Let Your Love Be Your Lesson”. Beautiful, beautiful! (Release date: Nov 15).

Lou Fulco is from Readings Port Melbourne.