In today's reviews section we have Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Kate Walsh and The Dirty Projectors. Read on and please leave your own reviews below...
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand
The sheer quality of his musicianship puts the mighty Robert Plant head and shoulders above his competitiors, and time has not diminished the fire that shines in him. It has given even greater depth and majesty to his distinctive voice. His musical partner in this project, Alison Krauss, is a very fine musician herself, so this pairing was bound to be something special – and it is.This creative combination is really quite enchanting, with their sublime, yet different, voices soaring and wheeling through a richly textured musical landscape. Each song is a joy to behold, particularly Polly Come Home, Nothin’, Your Long Journey, and Please Read The Letter. Fans of Led Zep will know that there was always more to Robert Plant than belting out heavy rock classics such as A Whole Lotta Love and Black Dog, or the ubiquitous Stairway To Heaven. Robert Plant was always interested in other musical genres, and in this allbum, his exploration of them with Alison Krauss has produced something really very good.
5/5 Rikki Wright
Kate Walsh – Tonight
Kate Walsh’s liquid velvety vocal and this sweet and touching song show just how good Kate Walsh is. Reminiscent of local songstress Ragz, this is a lovely performance, full of tenderness and sincerity. “Tonight will be alright”, she sings, and with songs like this to listen to, it probably will be.
4/5 Jessie Alison
The Dirty Projectors – Rise Above
Loads going on in this, so it’s sort of interesting, with some lovely individual components in it, such as the spangly guitar, reminiscent of the West African sound, and the complex choral approach to the vocals. However, on the whole, it’s a bit of a multilayered, cacophonous mishmash, which repels rather than attracts.The lyrics of songs such as Depression, deal with real issues, so they get a bonus point for that, and it is always good to hear someone trying something different, but all in all, let’s call this Difficult Listening, or Edge of The Road, because most music fans just won’t get this band at all.
2/5 Josh Green