Robert Plant & Alison Krauss: A Duo After My Own Heart
photo from The Guardian
Something I really enjoy about music is when talented artists collaborate to create a fun sound. However, my favorite collaborations are those that seem unlikely at the surface but end up working better than you could have even imagined. The unlikely collaboration that I have recently fallen in love with is the duo made up of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ collaboration isn’t something new, I just happen to have done a deeper dive into their work and now I just have to talk about it.
Now what makes me consider this duo to be a bit unusual? For starters, let’s dig in to each of their backgrounds to get a better sense of what they are working with. Robert Plant is probably best known for his work as the lead singer of Led Zeppelin from 1968 to 1980, featuring vocals that are unmistakably his. Along with his work as a member of Led Zeppelin, he developed a reputation for being a very charismatic rock and roll front man. During performances, he was known for being very active whether it be jumping, dancing, clapping, or even just making various gestures to go along with the songs. Robert Plant is essentially a rock and roll legend and has found himself on the top of many “Greatest Vocalists/Most Influential” lists.
On the other hand, Alison Krauss’ background greatly differs from that of Robert Plant. Alison is a bluegrass angel and phenomenal fiddler who is most known for her work with her band Union Station, as well as her work on the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack. Alison’s work has predominantly been within the bluegrass and country world where she got her start at a very young age. At only age 16 she released her debut album, Too Late To Cry, and hasn’t slowed down since. Her legacy as an artist is shown through her abundance of awards and recognitions, including 27 Grammys, making her the fourth artist on the list of most Grammy Awards.
photo from The New York Times
Although they are large names within their own genres, these two artists surprised fans from all realms with the 2007 release of their collaborative album, Raising Sands, produced by T Bone Burnett. Having known who each other where just from hearing each other’s music here and there, they eventually decided to pair up and ended up putting together this whole collection of songs. Raising Sands was very well received by audiences and ended up winning 5 Grammys, including Album of the Year. Despite the success of this album, the pair didn’t collaborate again until 2021 with the release of their most recent album, Raise the Roof, also produced by T Bone Burnett. This release has been well received and given universal acclaim. The pair are currently on tour promoting this album throughout the rest of 2022.
After such success with these two albums, listeners are still faced with the question of “how does this unlikely duo seem to work so well??” Plant’s background being rock and roll has created a style within his vocals to sometimes be a bit messy or unpredictable while singing. However, with Krauss having such extensive bluegrass experience, her vocals have always been well trained to harmonize and be a bit stricter within the vocals for a song. Not only do their vocal styles greatly differ, their genres differ quite a bit as well. When I think of Robert Plant, I picture a wild, shirtless, man belting out his unique voice backed by a heavy rock and roll sound. But when I think of Alison Krauss, I think of a delicate and practically angelic voice that almost soothes any listener into a lullaby. Because of these differences, you can imagine the surprise from fans of both artists when the duo was announced. However, despite their vast differences, this duo undoubtedly seems to work!
My personal opinion of why the two of them seem to work so well together is how nice Plant’s unique vocals sound when toned down a bit from their rock and roll origins to blend into the smooth and almost hypnotizing vocals of Krauss’. Maybe it is just me, but when I think of a bluegrass/country singer collaborating with a rock and roll singer, it makes perfect sense that they would land somewhere in the Americana and Folk genres. Like their vocals, the blending of their two genres makes for a wonderful Americana collaboration, made even better by the extensive covers they perform from artists such as The Everly Brothers, Allen Toussaint, Lucinda Williams, Merle Haggard, Townes Van Zandt, and Gene Clark. It almost seems like this duo helps balance out the other by bringing out a softer side to Plant and edging it up a bit for Krauss.
For me personally, the reason why I consider this duo to be “after my own heart” is simply the blending of these two very different individuals to create beautiful art. It truly is a great representation of my taste in general and me as a person. For starters, Led Zeppelin is one of my absolute favorite rock bands and I have been a fan of Robert Plant’s solo work for years. He represents many of my favorite things about classic rock and what continues to keep that genre so close to my heart. On the other hand, Alison Krauss pulls a bit more from my personal roots of growing up in a small town and bluegrass always makes me feel close to home for some reason. I have also long considered her voice one of THE BEST in country music. Her control and tone is so breathtaking that she is pretty much considered the definition of ethereal in the world of country music. Also, in the last year or so, I have been digging deeper into Americana and Roots type of music so this duo falls perfectly under that umbrella. Another factor that contributes to my love for this collaboration is how the both of them have taken risks and experimented with their sound after already having been so well established within their genres. Lastly, I appreciate how they cover songs from older artists and give these older and not as known songs a revamp.
photo from NPR
Overall, the way these two artists have decided to experiment with their sounds and go a bit outside of their norms, which they are already highly solidified in, really just makes my music loving heart happy. They complement each other so well and fans are able to pull back layers to the depth and many talents they each have as artists. I truly adore this duo and I think it has become a true treasure in the music world.
If you are not too familiar with their work together, I encourage you to give this video a watch. I really enjoyed this NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert and it shows a wonderful example of their work and just how much fun they have performing together.
