Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Gone Gone Gone

Miserable errand-driving on the freeway, punky distorto guitar in rockabilly rhythm cuts through the airwaves courtesy of KRSH, male-female harmony kicks in, and I'm hooked.

What is this? Sounds new...but, uh, old. The harmonies are terrific, vibrato-laden, each singer stepping out, then back, some great song about being gone, gone, gone... No back-announce. Found it when I got home, though, and you could have knocked me over with a feather and a hard shove: it was Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, wailin' on an Everly Brothers tune!

Ubiquitous mystery man T Bone Burnett produces. Album coming out in October, featuring tunes by the likes of Waits, Gene Clark, Townes, and Mel Tillis, and backing by the likes of Mike Seeger, Norman Blake, Greg Leisz, and Marc Ribot. Can't wait.

Neil Young, Live at Massey Hall 1971

This set catches old caveman Neil as he is just establishing himself as an artist with a unique vision and the musical sensibilities to make it real. He's playing solo, accompanying himself on guitar and piano in front of a warmly receptive hometown Toronto crowd.

With the provisional success of After the Gold Rush behind him but the definitive smash album Harvest still to come, Neil exhibits characteristic fearlessness in presenting brand new songs - some written just days before, and some not even yet finished, with complete conviction. And what songs. He is already well on his way to establishing the oevre that dominated the 70's singer-songwriter landscape: Old Man, Helpless, Heart of Gold, The Needle and the Damage Done, Down By the River, I Am a Child - they're all here, only fresh and new.

Kris Kristofferson, This Old Road

So full of integrity, craft, sweetness, sadness, and passion, I want to listen to it constantly. And now that I have the whole thing nearly memorized, "How can I keep from singing?" Dale says Kristofferson’s voice is like a favorite pair of old leather boots or gloves or something like that.