Robert Plant | Alison Krauss – Raising Sand

An album that remains a superb work of collaboration, blending rock, Americana, and folk under the masterful production of T Bone Burnett, there is a warmth and clarity to the pressing, with decent mastering that maintains a detailed soundstage​.

What a great album from two incredible vocals. The sound is clear, dynamic with great separation of instruments and pressing quality is top notch. Very happy to have this in my collection.

Ditto everything Kristian just said. The sound of this album, and the musical content is mesmerizing to say the least. I bought the CD back in 2007, when it was released, because I've always been in love with Alison. This album, five Grammy nominations, and five wins, including best album. When I saw that, I thought maybe it's time I had a good vinyl copy. What a difference. The CD just kind of came and went, but this vinyl masterpiece locked me in. It's one of the most beautiful records I own, for sure. A top of the line production team, and two legendary artists, created something very special here. Definitely highly recommended.

My copy is completely flat, quiet and sounds fantastic. Highly recommend.

A wonderful pressing! Some people complain about too much bass, but this therefore sounds just perfect on my slightly brighter system. I haven't compared this to any other pressings, but you can't go wrong with Kevin Gray's remastering and a beautiful pressing from RTI, highly recommended! Overall grade: 8,5/10

A very high end production, hence, there is not one sound that isn't supposed to be there or that way.

I had this on CD when it first issued in 2007. I liked it enough to pop for the vinyl when I joined the "resurgence" in 2015 (after 30 years of CDs!). Happy to get the first pressing. I use a Rega P6 turntable, Dynavector 10x5 cartridge through a Dynavector P75 MkIV phono stage fed into a Parasound Halo HINT 6 integrated amp powering ATC SCM11 speakers. I now love this album. The warmth and dynamics of the vinyl through my kit deliver emotion the CD (nor streaming) ever could. The interplay between RP and AK is stunning, and the first-class musicianship pours out of my speaks. Now, I trouble you with kit details, as vinyl playback is highly dependent on the equipment used - the physical media, the sensitivity of the stylus/cartridge to 'lift' the signal from the grooves, the millivolts of sound sent to the preamp/phono stage, its conditioning there, etc. etc. I don't feel my kit would fully qualify as "Audiophile Grade" but the investment sure delivers on this LP, and I find ZERO distortion as claimed in other posts. It would be much more valuable to understand what each poster is using, kit-wise, as your standard Crosley or even Audiotechnica, will impact listening details and pleasure. This LP is crafted well, and delivers an emotional, enriched listening experience.

This is wonderful listening. Even more, it's truly significant. That's in part because of the reaction _ I don't how many times in the last few months I've read about what seems to "critics'' and others to be a truly strange pairing. Something like: "You'd never expect two singers so far apart to team up, but it seems to work.''

That's nonsense (except the part about it working _ it doesn't "seem,'' it's real.) That's because the "critics'' and others put music in boxes and can't understand a pairing of "bluegrass,'' (the quotes are intentional) and heavy metal. This is Americana, but Americana as interpreted by Plant, Krauss and T-Bone Burnett that transcends category in a way that few albums do. Look on top. How many different categories does it rank No. 1. _ Rock, pop, folk, international. That's what music should be but too often isn't because the folks who run record companies and radio stations want to put music in the narrowest possible category.

It's also a breakthrough for all three artists, including Burnett, but especially Krauss, who in her last few albums has boxed herself in with very nice listenable material that's too often predictable. A couple of the albums won Grammys(she has 20)and they're incredibly well produced and performed, but after a while one Robert Lee Castleman song turns into another and the effect is underwhelming.

On this one, she uses all her talents, even, perhaps even as the excellent producer she is _ Burnett clearly took her advice and Plant's on some of the songs. Her country/bluegrass fiddle turns into gypsy violin on "Sister Rosetta,'' producing a haunting effect that's rarely heard in this kind of music.

Beyond that, I've never heard an album where the voices blend so well that it's hard to tell where one stops and the other picks up _ Tom Waits' "Trampled Rose'' is the exemplar of that and the most fascinating and haunting song on the album.

But it's almost all wonderful and it ends with what sounds very much like a little game being played by Burnett and Krauss in particular. The last number begins with Mike Seeger on autoharp leading into a Doc Watson gospel tune. Seeger discovered Elizabeth Cotten, who was his family's housekepper, and he was one of the pioneers who convinced record labels to record roots artists, Watson among them. It's also the most Krauss-like _ it's closest to what she does, right down to using a gospel number to close her albums (and her shows.)

But most of this is totally new territory for both artists. Maybe Krauss should have gone there a decade ago or maybe the timing is perfect. It's one of the few albums _ Luncinda Williams' "Essence'' is another _ that can get away with slow tempos and minor keys on two-thirds of the songs and not sound repetitious or boring.

Again, it's most important because it defies category. Other artists are trying _ Ben Harper and Norah Jones, with whom Krauss guested on a Bonnie Raitt show/CD/DVD are mingling pop, rock, country, gospel and reggae (in Harper's case.) The more the younger generation goes beyong genre and into "just music,'' the better off we'll all be. (Uh, no, Plant, at 59, isn't exactly the younger generation, but he's been looking for new frontiers for a decade or more.)

He's also a Brit and Brits tend to understand American music better than most Americans. In any case, people like Mark Knopfler, Steve Winwood, Van Morrison and even Jagger/Richard stay away from boxes. (And, by the way, I just heard Krauss do a wonderful version of Winwood/Traffic's "I Can't Find My Way Home'' on XM) It was issued three years ago as part of a TV Soundtrack. So yes, she's known for a long time that there's a big wide world of music out there.

Musically it's a great album, mastering is OK, however my vinyl is very much wavy. Will try to replace.

If anyone in the EU or UK is looking to pick up the Kevin Grey mastering, HHV have several copies. They have listed them incorrectly, on discogs and their own website (cheaper cough, cough) and ebay, as original 2007 US pressings. Shipping is cheap and includes VAT (UK). Just got a copy. No hype sticker on the front, but matrix matches this release.