I was driving home from work last week, listening to Sirius Disorder while Howard was on commercial (sorry, I’m addicted), and was thrilled to hear a great song that I’d only previously heard coming from the raspy voice of John Prine. But this time it was emanating softly and sweetly from the mouths of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.

It turns out that Plant and Nashville bluegrass cutie Krauss holed up with producer T-Bone Burnett for an album of covers. They take on a broad sampling of some of their favorite tunes, ranging from the Everly Brothers to Tom Waits. The album, Raising Sand, will be out October 23rd. This should be good. Check out the track list (with songwriter in parenths):

“Rich Woman” (Dorothy LaBostrie/McKinley Millet)
“Killing the Blues” (Rowland Salley)
“Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us” (Sam Phillips)
“Polly Come Home” (Gene Clark)
“Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On)” (Phil and Don Everly)
“Through the Morning, Through the Night” (Gene Clark)
“Please Read The Letter” (Robert Plant/Michael Lee/Jimmy Page/Charlie Jones)
“Trampled Rose” (Tom Waits/Kathleen Brennan)
“Fortune Teller” (Naomi Neville)
“Stick With Me Baby” (Mel Tillis)
“Nothin'” (Townes Van Zandt)
“Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson” (Milt Campbell)
“Your Long Journey” (A.D. Watson and Rosa Lee Watson)

The song I heard in the car was “Killing the Blues”. Silly me, not knowing that “Killing the Blues” isn’t a Prine-penned song at all, but rather a 1977 composition by Rowland Salley, who went on to play bass in Chris Isaak’s band. A great song, cool lyrics…

PRE-ORDER Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raising Sand on the Rounder Records Site or Amazon.