Alison Krauss - So Long So Wrong
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Free Music Notes for So Long So Wrong
Free Music Review: Krauss and Company Produce Musical Schizophrenia
Hit: 5 Stars
To the title of "So Long, So Wrong" you can tack on "So Confused". Never have I heard an album which bounces back and forth between such completely different musical styles as this one. For the record, let me admit that I am not a fan of bluegrass -- in fact, I typically hate it. But I love Alison Krauss. Her voice and her music are absolutely sublime.On song after song, Krauss produces some of the most supremely beautiful music that I have ever heard. "Deeper Than Crying", "I Can Let Go Now", and "It Doesn't Matter" set the musical and emotional stage for the best songs Krauss has recorded since "When You Say Nothing at All".
"Find My Way Back to Your Heart" is a romping, joyous song that manages to merrily skip along while dealing with the emotional difficulties caused by life on the road. The album's crescendo comes on "Looking In the Eyes of Love", one of the most touching and beautiful songs I have ever heard. I can't imagine a song being written or performed more perfectly than this. "Happiness" poignantly examines the hurt that comes when love ends unexpectedly. The album ends with "There Is a Reason", one of the most beautiful and hopeful religious songs ever recorded.
The problem with this album comes when Krauss gives the reins to her Union Station bandmates. When Krauss is not providing the vocals, the band's musical style shifts dramatically into full-tilt bluegrass. Despite the stark stylistic differences, the band inexplicably saw fit to make this transition on almost every other song. Just when the album has succeeded in creating a state of emotional sublimity with "Looking In the Eyes of Love", it jerks you into the bluegrass twang of "Pain of a Troubled Life", before snapping you right back into the somber beauty of "Happiness".
This is not to say that Union Station is not a good band. They are a gifted bluegrass ensemble with considerable musical talents. But Krauss is something else entirely. An understated musical genius, she combines her incredible talents as a musician with one of the best and most original voices in popular music and creates songs which are simple, heartfelt, and honest. Her songs aren't really bluegrass, nor are they identifiable with any other particular musical genre (the album's title song is the only one she sings that has any twang whatsoever). It is simply good music that, in it's simplicity and emotional beauty, is much closer to Jewel's best work than to Bill Monroe.
So how do you grade an album that jumps back and forth between equal parts of the musically sublime and music you can live without? Let's just say that CD technology and the ability to program the song sequence is a lifesaver. When I listen to this album, it consists only of tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, & 14. And it is this abbreviated version of "So Long, So Wrong" that I give five stars. The rest can take a hike.
Free Music Review: Balancing Act
Hit: 5 Stars
Sometimes an abundance of talent can be a curse - take Alison Kraus, for example. On one hand, she has bluegrass afficianados (like me) begging her not to give in to the lure of almost certain pop/country superstardom, while the rest of the world is screaming, "Get rid of those hayseeds!"I've already tipped my hand, so I will tell you that the bluegrass component of this album is about the best that can be heard in the genre's more contemporary incarnation. And while Alison is clearly the star, the boys in the band more than hold their own, both vocally and instumentally. Dan Tyminski is a terrific singer and guitarist - his voice blends superbly with Alison's on "Blue Trail of Sorrow" and particularly "The Road is a Lover," which also features some great train-like bowing from Alison. Banjoist Ron Block takes Scrugg-style picking to a higher level - his driving solo on the title track blows me away every time I hear it. And Adam Steffey's mandolin playing ranks among the best.
What more can be said about Alison's voice? It's clear, emotive, and haunting. My only complaint about Alison these days is that she is growing less and less inclined to cut loose on the fiddle. I've read her statements of getting away from "flashy playing for its own sake," but she's far too talented on that instrument to let it collect too much dust.
For those whom skip over the non-Alison tracks, or complain that the guys sing to much - Alison is following in the best tradition of the original bluegrass bossman himself, Mr.Bill Monroe, who handed over the reigns repeatedly to such (later) stars as Lester Flatt, Jimmy Martin, and Peter Rowan. Alison Kraus and Union Station is a BAND - and a damned fine one at that. I just hope that she doesn't follow the path of the late Keith Whitley, Marty Stuart, Dolly Parton, and Ricky Skaggs (although we got him back), forsaking bluegrass completely.
Free Music Review: Set your CD player for Auto Repeat, its finger pickin good.
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: One of the greatest albums
Hit: 5 Stars
I am a longstanding fan of Irish Traditional Music and so, when I was standing in a Birmingham record store quite a few years back and my ear caught the sound of "Happiness", I immediately asked the assistant the name of the band. I couldn't believe my ears at the clear and clean perfection of the sound. I've known this CD for a number of years and yet it always sounds virtually as fresh as the first time I heard it, very unusual for music which can be easily remembered - at least for me!
One of the clever things about this CD is the way the softer songs are interspersed with the more boisterous numbers. The first song `So Long So wrong' is a kind of compromise, but the lively songs, complete with Ron Block's fast banjo picking and (mostly) Adam Steffey's mandolin, are `No Place to Hide' (Adam Steffey vocals), `The Road Is a Lover', `I'll Remember You Love in My Prayers' and `Blue Trail of Sorrow' (Dan Tyminski vocals), Little Liza Jane (a short speed-record breaking instrumental), and `Pain of a Troubled Life' (Ron Block vocals). All the others are softer Alison Krauss vocals. The last song, written by Ron Block, is a Gospel song, `There Is a Reason', a very moving close to this collection.
This is the last AKUS album to include Adam Steffey, whose mandolin playing is extraordinary. Playing at phenomenal speed, every note is pure and clean. I've never heard anything like it from any other mandolin player of repute. Out of this world!
I have four AKUS albums, all of them of the highest quality and some with songs which, individually, surpass some of the songs on this album. Yet, in spite of this, I still find `So Long So Wrong' the best AKUS album overall and the one which can be played most without tiring. This is probably a good reason why I thought to review it now after so long.
Free Music Review: Pain of a troubled life
Hit: 5 Stars
As of this writing, Alison Krauss continues to grow as both a roots-oriented performer (O, Brother and O, Sister) and mainstream roots-tinged singer (New Favorite). This CD was my introduction to her and Union Station, acquired somewhat by chance a few years ago when I discovered it at a music store listening station. I bought it because I loved the sound of it, and while I've listened to a lot of bluegrass since then (live and recorded), this remains both fresh and soulful, with a style that is distinctively different from the usual.If you like really bright and upbeat bluegrass, the music on this CD tends to be darker and more mournful than Bill Monroe ever envisioned. The recording volume is even low; you have to crank up the system to hear it. The finest and most touching song on the album for me is "Looking in the Eyes of Love," sung so yearningly by Krauss that you'd swear she's pulled it up out of her own bitterest experiences. If my copy of this song was on vinyl, the grooves would have been worn out by now.
The theme of pain deeply felt and slow to recover from is reflected in many of the titles: "Deeper than Crying," "Pain of a Troubled Life," "Blue Trail of Sorrow." Monroe would do these songs fast and make them sound like a day at the beach, but here they are sung and played for all the pathos in them. Thankfully, resolution of sorts comes in the final cut, "There is a Reason (for it all)."
Is it a concept album? Hard to say. The band seems to have wanted to roll back the sunny, upbeat sound of traditional bluegrass and expose the sadness often underlying it. As an experiement, it's worth a listen because the group is so darn good, and the musicianship is so fine. Buy it, and feel the songs seep into your soul.