Alison Krauss, Union Station - New Favorite
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Free Music Notes for New Favorite
Free Music Review: My "New Favorite" album from one of my Favorite musicians!
Hit: 5 Stars
Fresh off the successes of her Grammy award-winning solo album FORGET ABOUT IT and recordings on the double platinum O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU soundtrack, newgrass queen Alison Krauss returns to the folk/bluegrass scene with NEW FAVORITE, her first album with Union Station since 1997's SO LONG SO WRONG. After two years without new music from this amazing artist, this album is well worth the wait.Alison Krauss has tried some different things musically over the last few years. Her last several albums with Union Station have established their music as what SPIN magazine described as "taking bluegrass back to the future," she tried a more contemporary folk sound on her last solo album, and this past year she performed a few old time bluegrass numbers on the O BROTHER CD. NEW FAVORITE sports the best of all three musical experiments. Songs like "Daylight," "Crazy Faith," and the instrumental "Choctaw Hayride" showcase the sound that has made Union Station famous in the bluegrass circuit, while "The Lucky One," "Stars," and "Let Me Touch You For Awhile" protray Alison's talent vocals. The old-timey sounds of the O BROTHER CD are shown in songs like "Momma Cried" and "The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn," and feature the outstanding lead vocals of Union Station guitarist Dan Tyminski (a.k.a "Ulysses Everett McGill"). Another highlight of the album is the title song, co-written by fellow O BROTHER artist Gillian Welch and featuring more stunning vocals and music by Alison and the band.
Although it may not be a good choice for a first time Alison Krauss buyer, NEW FAVORITE is definitely a must for longtime fans of the band. Fans of the O BROTHER soundtrack and its companion, DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN also may enjoy the variety of songs on the album. This album has already dominated my CD playlist for the last two days, and is sure to be my "new favorite" for a long time!
Free Music Review: Oh Brother, Now this is Bluegrass!
Hit: 5 Stars
This album really sizzles in a cracklin' fryin' pan delight kind of way. Alison Kruass & Union Station as always are awesome here! This is true bluegrass at it's finest. If you're not an AK&US fan you should surely like this album. And add it to your bluegrass music collection.
The songs that round out this fine album are some of simply the best. 'The Lucky One' is a great carefree drifter song sung by Alison Kruass' fine angelic vocals. A little trivia about 'The Lucky One', won best songwriter at the grammys by a Martinsburg, WV native. Boy, aren't they the lucky one? 'Crazy Faith' about hopeful love. Great traditionals 'The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn' sung in jam session with Dan Tymanski, and 'Bright Sunny South'. Tymanski sung the voiceover for the song sessions for George Clooney in the movie, 'OBrother, Where Art Thou.' 'Choctaw Hayride' is a grand hoedown ensemble. Dan Tymanski and Ron Block use their vocals on 'Momma Cried'. A song of a long lost child taken away. "Stars' is a re-recording of a long forgotten song by Dan Fogelberg. Another great artist to check out. "New Favorite' was written by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Gillian Welch is another fine bluegrass artist to appreciate. Gillian Welch joins Alison Krauss on the 'O Brother, Where Art Thou' soundtrack. Still another fine compliation soundtrack to listen to.
If you're a first time listener of this album I suggest these albums: 'Two Highways', 'I Know Who Holds Tomorrow', 'So Long So Wrong', and 'Forget About It'. All are off the Rounder Records label. A really cool note is that the front cover photo was shot at the Elliston Place Soda Shop in Nashville, TN. I use to visit the place myself when I lived there. Like the Bluebird Cafe an interesting landmark with an interestin history that many a country stars passed through. This is fine contemporary bluegrass at it's best out of Nashville! Long live Alison Krauss & Union Station. Long may your banjoes play!
Free Music Review: This album "hits one out of the park", MY new favorite
Hit: 5 Stars
How can one be critical of such perfection seemingly sent direct from his holly bosom. OK!, I know? That isn't exactly helpful to those new to the AKUS phenomenon. I'll try to be level headed about this. If you are reading this, you are looking for guidance, so for those who have resisted buying any AKUS until NOW... Shame on you! But OK, if that be the case, you're best bet for a high saturation of OUTSTANDING ballads is "New Favorite" which has some good B-grass also, or "Forget About It" But this is void of any B-grass whatsoever, (how'd that happen?). For the most balanced album with STRONG Ballads AND B-grass, "So Long So Wrong" is your good first choice. If you prefer the older works of AKUS (lots of B-grass) but can't decide which to buy, your best bet is "Now That I've Found You" without question. Unless you have a specific song title in mind, "Lonely Runs Both Ways" may not be your best first purchase. Stellar performances on ALL titles are to be found without question. Myself? I heard AKUS the first time in 1992. I was awe-struck, and remain so with each release from Alison or AKUS. When god shines, HE SHINES. One day I hope a CD of all of Alisons singles from movie sound-tracks etc... will be released. I own every Alison "album" released so far, other than the occasional wayward single. I can say the same for Dan & Rons works also. Jerry!... lol, Dude, nobody has enough money or time to buy everything YOU've put your personal touch too. However, I can nearly always detect your sound & style, sight unseen whenever I hear it, ". Alison & the group are beyond mere descriptive phrases. Certainly they are perfection, in humility, talent, taste, execution, communion and musicianship. Yet, these words are only glimpses of the greater power one can sense from every utterance AKUS make. Thank You Alison, Dan, Ron, Jerry, Barry et all... I appreciate your music sooooo very much.Free Music Review: Alison Krauss and Union Station: The Power Of Five
Hit: 5 Stars
New Favorite takes Alison Krauss and Union Station to a new frontier. Powerful songs give Krauss the chance to rise to higher levels of spirit, melancholy, desperation, redemption, and intensity with her voice. Dan Tyminski holds forth with tones and lyrics from the ages made modern. Ron Block shows again his mastery of ironic lyrics. In New Favorite there is no rest for the musicians. Where other acoustic bands take breaks to bring in the instruments, AKUS fades in the banjo, guitar, mandolin, dobro, violin, and drums so seamless that the spotlight man works to find the centerpiece. On many tunes the riffs of one instrument hangs just behind the lead of another and of the voices of the vocalists. Jerry Douglas's dobro is desperate, longing, melancholy, scary, mystic, complemented by smooth strums and notes that die as fast as they were born. Alison's fiddle growls, riffles, stretches riffs long and sad, peeks out from behind other instruments and voices, and keeps time with firm strokes of the bow. The fiddler she couldn't play with does not exist. Dan Tyminski's voice echoes ancient Celtic tones and his flatpicking, fading in, slipping out, is perfect. Ron Block plays down close to the bridge on his banjo making soft sounds in the background or rising to Broadway "Oklahoma" musical styles when called on. Barry Bales provides harmony and strikes the bass with authority. This is acoustic music that draws in unbelievers and captures the souls of skeptics. This is music with class performed by people of class. Long time fans grasp New Favorite knowing it will take hundreds of plays to ever get the intricacies that lurk in the shade of the lyrics. First time listeners will know they have found sounds that will last forever and become part of the cannon of bluegrass and acoustic music.Free Music Review: Alison Krauss and Union Station: The Power Of Five
Hit: 5 Stars
New Favorite takes Alison Krauss and Union Station to a new frontier. Powerful songs give Krauss the chance to rise to higher levels of spirit, melancholy, desperation, redemption, and intensity with her voice. Dan Tyminski holds forth with tones and lyrics from the ages made modern. Ron Block shows again his mastery of ironic lyrics. In New Favorite there is no rest for the musicians. Where other acoustic bands take breaks to bring in the instruments, AKUS fades in the banjo, guitar, mandolin, dobro, violin, and drums so seamless that the spotlight man works to find the centerpiece. On many tunes the riffs of one instrument hangs just behind the lead of another and of the voices of the vocalists. Jerry Douglas's dobro is desperate, longing, melancholy, scary, mystic, complemented by smooth strums and notes that die as fast as they were born. Alison's fiddle growls, riffles, stretches riffs long and sad, peeks out from behind other instruments and voices, and keeps time with firm strokes of the bow. The fiddler she couldn't play with does not exist. Dan Tyminski's voice echoes ancient Celtic tones and his flatpicking, fading in, slipping out, is perfect. Ron Block plays down close to the bridge on his banjo making soft sounds in the background or rising to Broadway "Oklahoma" musical styles when called on. Barry Bales provides harmony and strikes the bass with authority. This is acoustic music that draws in unbelievers and captures the souls of skeptics. This is music with class performed by people of class. Long time fans grasp New Favorite knowing it will take hundreds of plays to ever get the intricacies that lurk in the shade of the lyrics. First time listeners will know they have found sounds that will last forever and become part of the canon of bluegrass and acoustic music.