Three very quick music reviews

I got a couple of new CDs to listen to in the last week or so, and I just want to take a minute to let youall know about them. That last post was pretty lame.

The new Mark Knopfler release is really quite good. I like his previous one, with Emmylou Harris, a little better, but this one is good. It's called 'Kill to Get Crimson.' I confess I'm kind of new to Mr. Knopfler's work, but I'm digging it.

And the new Joni Mitchell CD? It's called 'Shine.' I read a review of it somewhere, or heard about it on the radio, and some grumpy guy was saying that she sounded all angry and bitter and middle-aged, which I decided to take as a recommendation. That is kind of my demographic, after all. I gave it a spin and had to wonder if that reviewer was even listening to the same CD. It's quite pretty, really. Reminds me more than a little of Cassandra Wilson. Very jazzy and sophisticated and introspective. With one piano solo that's a little on the Windham Hill end of the spectrum, but in a good way.

I've never been a huge fan of Robert Plant, I'll say that right off the bat. I don't dislike him, by any means, and OK, there are a coupla Led Zeppelin tunes on my randomizer at any given time, but I'm not really all that familiar with their work. 'The Battle of Evermore,' featuring guest vocals by the immortal Sandy Denny, is really the only reason I have any Led Zeppelin at all. And bluegrass is not my favorite thing in the world, but Alison Krauss is pretty good at it. I've seen her perform at music festivals & such, but have never gone out of my way to see her or listen to her recordings. So I'm really sort of surprised by how much I like their recent release 'Raising Sand.' I didn't find out until after I'd heard it that it was produced by T-Bone Burnett. I do occasionally go out of my way to listen to things that Mr. Burnett produces, and this does not disappoint. Both Mr. Plant and Ms. Krauss sound like they're having a great time, and I do like that in a recording, and they have been performing together occasionally for a little while now. They were interviewed on NPR week or so ago, and seemed to genuinely enjoy each other's company. I'd already heard the CD a couple of times by then, but I probably would have checked it out after hearing them talk about it. The material they selected is pretty good too. I'm especially liking their take on the Everly Bros. 'Gone Gone Gone,' which is among my (many) all-time favorite songs.

Plus, how cool would it be to have been Alison Krauss a few years back, sitting around one day and getting a phone call from Robert Plant, who is just calling to say he'd liked your records?