Robert Plant and Alison Krauss did not write an original song for their Grammy-winning 2007 album Raising Sand, and 11 out of the 12 tracks on the upcoming sequel Raise the Roof are covers. But “High and Lonesome” is a novelty: an all-new tune, co-written by Plant and producer T Bone Burnett that’s as fun as anything in Plant’s recent discography.
The bluesy track chugs along on a four-note guitar riff, accompanied by crisp drumming and occasionally punctuated by urgent smacks of hand claps. Plant triples-up phrases like, “I must find my love,” and “Does she still think of me,” putting a swanky little lean into the first word. Krauss and Burnett sing backup vocals, with the latter adding a ghostly whisper and the former flickering above Plant’s topline like smoke above a fire. Check out “High and Lonesome” below.
Raise the Roof arrives November 19th and pre-orders are ongoing. Previously, the duo shared “Can’t Let Go,” a cover of Randy Weeks’s song that was made famous by Lucinda Williams. Last month, the 72-year-old Plant raised eyebrows when he said that when bands stay together for a few decades, “It starts to look sadly decrepit.”
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