songs to know

Posted by troybronsink

August 20, 2008

I’m going to start posting about songs and albums and songwriters that I love. The first is a CD that Kelley has been chomping at the bit for us to get for months now:

Raising Sand: a duet album of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss produced by T-Bone Burnett

In a very short review: the album needs to be played loud. Its one you need to listen to more than twice and then it will haunt you. At first, Plant sounded less Zeppeliny than i expected but after a while you recognize the violins of Krauss, her haunting shrills and Plant’s mood building swells as part of the old Zepplin greatness. And Krauss’ willingness ot bring her whole self into rock-feeling songs like Let Your Love Be Your Lesson, is unmistakably what makes the album work. Two unlikely paired together to remind us why we love them both and to host an entirely different project. But the real flair is Burnett’s ability to pull the best repertories for these two.

Here’s some lyrics from my favorite song writers who’s songs are covered by these two legends:

Passing the hat in church
It never stops going round

You never pay just once
To get the job done

What I done to me,
I done to you,
What happened to the trampled rose?”

from trampled Rose by iconoclastic jazz great, Tom Waits. Waits can make anything haunting, but who would have guessed that sweat Alison’s voice could be mixed to match Wait’s bowed saw and rake.

Standing in my broken heart all night long
Darkness held me like a friend when love wore off
Looking for the lamb that’s hidden in the cross
The finder’s lost…”

from Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us by California female songwriter Sam Phillips (also known in old CCM circles as Leslie Phillips).

Being born is going blind
And bowin’ down a thousand times
To echos strung
on pure temptation

Sorrow and Solitude
these are the precious things
And the only words
worth remembering…”

from Nothin’ by Texas songwriter, Townes Van Zandt

if you have not heard it yet you need to! And if you don’t know these two great songwriters, stay tuned I’ll post more of their stuff.