Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - "Please Read The Letter"

The musical collaboration of the decade, Raising Sand is the sound of two iconic figures stepping out of their respective comfort zones and letting their instincts lead them across a brave new sonic landscape. Despite hailing from distinctly different backgrounds, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant share a maverick spirit and willingness to extend the boundaries of their respective genres. This spirit, expertly honed by producer T Bone Burnett, has resulted in an album pitched three steps beyond some cosmic collision of early urban blues, spacious West Texas country, and the untapped potential of the folk-rock revolution.

Supported by the unparalleled musicianship of Marc Ribot, Dennis Crouch, Mike Seeger, Jay Bellerose, Norman Blake, Greg Leisz, Patrick Warren, and Riley Baugus, Plant and Krauss -- as both solo and harmony vocalists -- tackle an intriguing selection of songs from such tunesmiths as Tom Waits, Gene Clark, Sam Phillips, Townes Van Zandt, The Everly Brothers, and Mel Tillis. Raising Sand finds Robert Plant and Alison Krauss exploring popular music's elemental roots while still sounding effortlessly, breathtakingly contemporary.

Raising Sand was the 2009 Grammy Award winner for Album of the Year, Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album, Record of the Year (for Raising Sand's "Please Read the Letter," a tune originally recorded for Page-Plant's Walking Into Clarksdale), Best Country Collaboration With Vocals ("Killing the Blues") and Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals ("Rich Woman").

Raising Sand track listing
1 Rich Woman
2 Killing The Blues
3 Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us
4 Polly Come Home
5 Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)
6 Through The Morning, Through The Night
7 Please Read The Letter
8 Trampled Rose
9 Fortune Teller
10 Stick With Me Baby
11 Nothin’
12 Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson
13 Your Long Journey

Additional musicians
Riley Baugus – banjo
Jay Bellerose – drums
Norman Blake – acoustic guitar
T Bone Burnett – acoustic and electric guitars, six-string bass guitar
Dennis Crouch – upright bass
Greg Leisz – pedal steel guitar
Marc Ribot – acoustic guitar, banjo, dobro, electric guitar
Mike Seeger – autoharp
Patrick Warren – keyboards, pump organ, toy piano

Production
T Bone Burnett – production
Gavin Lurssen – mastering engineering
Stacy Parrish – audio engineering
Mike Piersante – audio engineering, mixing