Little opens Plant’s tour

By John Benson

Sharon Little opens the ‘Raising Sand’ tour.

Considering there’s a large percentage of opening acts that never cross paths with the superstar bands they’re supporting, singer Sharon Little’s experience is special.

As opener for the Robert Plant/Alison Krauss “Raising Sand” tour, which comes through Cleveland Tuesday at the Time Warner Cable Amphitheater at Tower City, the Pennsylvania native has already enjoyed the experience of a lifetime supporting her idols, who not only dispelled the notion of hubris but have seemingly opened their world to her.

“I was a fan of both of them,” said Little, calling from Santa Monica, Calif. “And then [producer] T Bone Burnett is also on tour, and I knew of him because of the music in ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?.’ I was such a fan of all the music in that movie, but it was only until I started to tour with him that I realized he was in charge of putting that together. I was like, ‘Wow.’ I was blown away.

“Also, I cried the moment I met Alison. And then Robert Plant, T Bone and myself all shared a glass of wine the first night of the tour, and I was speechless. It’s an amazing thing when you’re in the presence of not only great musicians but honest musicians and musicians that are humble. Alison is the furthest thing from a diva. She sat in my sound check the other day and just watched us perform.”

Even though Little may not be a household name, yet, she’s currently touring her third studio album “Perfect Time for a Breakdown,” which was written and recorded with musical partner Scot Stax.

The new disc, which is her major label debut, is a bluesy-jazzy mix of heartfelt tracks. This includes the emotional “Follow That Sound” and the gospel soul vibe of “Try.”

Already Little said her music has found Plant/Krauss audiences accommodating. However, it appears as though their acceptance isn’t truly required in Little’s world.

“When I’m on stage I disappear and let my emotions just come out because it’s the only frickin’ time I truly feel I can actually do that,” Little said. “And with my songs, I sing them. I cry them. I’m actually emoting something, and most of the time I don’t even realize the audience is in front of me. Music is just such a powerful thing for me.”

What Little admits has become irritating for her is the notion she was randomly plucked from obscurity to open the Plant/Krauss tour.

A lot of her press has made a big deal about how, less than a year ago, the 28-year-old singer was waiting tables and now she’s on one of the more interesting tours of summer 2008.

“Yeah, I was working as a waitress at a cocktail bar,” laughed Little, singing the latter part of the sentence to the tune of Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me.”

“But Scot and I have been on the road for a good two years pretty much anyway. So this is just an extension of everything we’ve been working for.

“So it’s definitely gratifying, but to be honest with you, it’s not like a shock where I am. It’s a shock that Robert Plant, Alison Krauss and T Bone Burnett took me, but we’ve been working our butts off and have been doing a lot of stuff towards this. It’s not like I’ve been just sitting on my couch and someone said, ‘Guess what? You’re doing this.’ I’ve been working toward this for seven years, and I see this tour as the first step with only better things coming.”