The Best Album Of 2007

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, “Raising Sand”








Despite the fact that each and every year, Robert Plant seems to be morphing into this bizarre caricature of an English grandmother, he can still belt out a tune. Couple that ( the singing, not the grandmotherly visage ) with one of the most haunting and original voices in Blue Grass / Country music and you've got a duet that is hard to top. But, one can't set aside the musical genius that is T. Bone Burnett.

There really isn't a true form of 'country' music anymore. It's all overproduce tripe that does nothing but mock the real country artists that created honest, orignal music. Now, all you have to have is a cowboy hat, a belt-buckle, and some inane lyrics about a tractor or going fishing while you're drunk.

( ok, i'm done ranting on that, for now )

"Raising Sand" takes everything that Led Zeppelin did with conjuring a fantastic image with sound and lyrics and blend it with a little bit of true, southern, music ( you know, like Johnny Cash or Waylon Jennings used to play ) and you've got one of the greatest albums of the last 10 years, and certainly a perfect choice for best album of 2007.

I can wait to see these two at Bonnaroo.