Tag Archives: Robert Plant

Exploring New Music: Alison Krauss

September is here – and nearly over – and I nearly forgot my 2018 New Year Resolution of listening to more, new music (new to me)! So, looking again to Alfie for inspiration, I decided on an artist who both recorded a song that Alfie went on to record and who has worked with someone who Alfie has also worked with.

I am talking about bluegrass, country singer Alison Krauss who wrote Onward’s A Living Prayer, much loved by Alfie fans and featured at number ten in this year’s best ever song poll.  The artist that both Krauss and Alfie have worked with is Robert Plant; Alfie on the track Song to the Siren and Krauss on a collaborative album, Raising Sand.  In both cases, the pairing was somewhat surprising but wonderful.

Krauss and Union Station have released numerous albums, both solo and together so I chose a few albums to listen to, including Raising Sand as the partnership with Robert Plant was intriguing to say the least.  I wasn’t disappointed.  The vocals are in perfect harmony and it seems incredible to the listener that this was not a long term collaboration when recorded.  When it’s right, it’s right.  Killing The Blues is my favourite track:

The melody and vocals wrap the listener in a warm blanket of harmony and bluegrass – loved it. Straight after Killing The Blues comes the uptempo Gone, Gone, Gone:

Both artists seem to be having so much fun here and the catchy lyrics and beat have danceability in spades – I dare you to sit still whilst listening!  Other stand out tracks were Stick With Me Baby and Please Read The Letter.  Can you tell, I really liked this album?

Moving onto an earlier album for Krauss and Union Station, 2004’s Lonely Runs Both Ways has A Living Prayer on (click here to see this) but that’s not the song I enjoyed most.  That honour goes to Goodbye Is All We Have:

Perfectly suited to Krauss’s pure vocals, the song plays to her strengths – many of her songs are ballads and the emotion she portrays in song shines out here.  Restless, the opening track and Gravity are the best of the rest.

Finally, the last album I looked at was Krauss’s first solo album for a while, Windy City, released in 2017.  The stand out track here is Goodbye and So Long To You:

Out and out country, it’s a song that screams joy and is in the best tradition of country women standing up for themselves. Another one I couldn’t sit still for.   In contrast, the ballad, River in the Rain is just beautiful, showing the range of Krauss’s voice:

All in all, this was one of the more enjoyable aspects of my New Year Resolution – I’ll be delving more deeply into Krauss’s back catalogue from now on.

thanks for reading – please share

xx

 

Rock & Roll Ghost Hunting with Alfie Boe

Interview with the Daily Mail.

Apparently, Alfie would like Led Zeppelin’s Rock & Roll to be played at his funeral; entirely fitting, given his history with the band (click here to see Alfie Boe’s duet with Robert Plant).

And if you want to organise a ghost hunt, who you gonna call?  Alfie Boe of course, seeing as he likes the TV shows so much!

 

Alfie Boe Favorite Duet: Short List: Robert Plant

Writing a short bio about Robert Plant seems to be a contradiction in terms.  The man has done so much that knowing where to start was the main problem.  Although aware of Plant and Led Zeppelin (who isn’t?) I would have been hard pressed to name anything else about the band other than Stairway to Heaven.   As with so many other musicians, this all changed through getting to know the music of Alfie Boe.  Alfie’s love of good music and his collaboration with many artists new to me, has meant that I have got to know a lot more about artists I would never have even looked at BA (before Alfie, for the uninitiated!).

In recent years, Robert has collaborated with the bluegrass musician, Alison Krauss, on Raising Sand, an unlikely blend on paper but the result is magical.  The 2007 album was hugely commercially and critically successful and the duo have continued to work together, touring as recently as 2013.

Alfie and his wife, Sarah, have a personal connection with Led Zeppelin; their wedding dance was a Led Zeppelin song (Rain Song) which was also one of their first ever dances.  Sarah was also with Alfie when he met Robert in a bar and in the studio when Song to the Siren was recorded. To me, this is the most personal song to Alfie to be nominated.

Don’t forget to vote – and enjoy the snippet of Song to the Siren below:

 

thanks for reading

if you like what you see, why not subscribe?

sneak previews of upcoming posts and 4 Alfie photos will land in your inbox!

 

Favourite Alfie Boe Duet – The Short List!

So, for a week now you’ve all been voting for your favourite Alfie Boe duet...and the results are now in!

Of course, if you subscribe, you’ll already be aware of the short list – if you want to get in on the action before anyone else, subscribe now!

The voting was very competitive and although there has been a clear leader right from the start, the singers bringing up the rear have changed over the week.

If your favourite made it through, fantastic, why not vote for them again?  If your favourite is missing, click on the new video short list to help you choose a new one!

Watch out for regular updates and profiles on the short listed singers – if you subscribe, you” also get sneak previews on the way the voting goes…before everyone else!

 

Alfie Boe: Vote for Your Favourite Duet

Last week, I asked you all for your nominations for your favourite singer to perform with Alfie, either live or recorded (click here).

Well, you responded in your numbers and the nominations are in and the vote is ready!

All the nominations are listed in the YouTube playlist below, to help you deicde – some clips are longer than others but they’re all there!

After you’ve voted, don’t forget to subscribe – you’ll get a sneak peek at the short list before everyone else!