Lonely Runs Both Ways - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
Nobody makes somber sound more exquisite than Alison Krauss. She's come an awfully long way from her days as a teenage fiddle prodigy, as her glamour gown on this CD's cover suggests and the bittersweet maturity of the music confirms. Krauss exchanges her bluegrass fiddle for the chamber strains of viola on much of the material, including four songs by Robert Lee Castleman (whose "The Lucky One," "Let Me Touch You for Awhile," and "Forget About It" were previously popularized by Krauss). Castleman's compositions showcase the emotional intimacy and interpretive subtlety of her breathy trill. The yearning harmonies on "Wouldn't Be So Bad" (written by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings) and "Borderline" (written by Sidney and Suzanne Cox) reinforce the album's restless spirit of quiet desperation. Change-of-pace contributions by Krauss's bandmates are more deeply rooted in the bluegrass/folk tradition, with Dan Tyminski renewing Del McCoury's "Rain Please Go Away" and Woody Guthrie's populist anthem "Pastures of Plenty"; Dobro master Jerry Douglas leads the charge on his instrumental "Unionhouse Branch." Few bands in bluegrass can match the virtuosity of Union Station's interplay, but the artistry of Alison Krauss transcends genre. --Don McLeese

Recommended Alison Krauss & Union Station Discography

Now That I've Found You: A Collection	Two Highways	I've Got That Old Feeling
Live	Forget About It	So Long So Wrong

Album Description
GRAMMY WINNER FOR BEST COUNTRY ALBUM, BEST COUNTRY PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP, AND BEST COUNTRY INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE.

Lonely Runs Both Ways is the highly anticipated new studio album from the world's finest purveyors of Bluegrass, Alison Krauss and Union Station. Featuring instant classics such as "Wouldn't Be So Bad," "Goodbye Is All We Have," and the lead single, "Restless," Lonely Runs Both Ways is another unforgettable collection of songs from this multiple Grammy-winning act.

Customer Reviews: Read 102 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

A very good album, but ... November 25, 2004
145 out of 184 found this review helpful

A very good album because everything Alison and Union Station does is very good. The but ... is because it's a star's album: nothing really new, nothing adventurous, nothing daring at all.

Sad, because that's how Alison in particular became a star. Her breakthrough album, a decade ago, featured Lennon and McCartney mixed with gospel, bluegrass, and old rock stuff plus two classics: "Now that I found You,'' an old R&B tune and "When you say Nothing at all.''

This album is formulaic. Four Robert Lee Castlemans, a Welch/Rawlings; some bluegrass stuff by Dan and the obligatory Ron Block religious closing. All well done, some of it interesting, but nothing really new _ the farthest out number is Woody Guthrie's "Pastures of Plenty.'' I grew up with it, so I'm a little tired of it, but I liked the way it was done.

Two thoughts on what this might have been.

1. Shortly after I watched the concert DVD with Alison's explanation (very funny - she could be a standup comic) of her yearning for sad "lost love'' songs, I heard The Band's "It Makes No Difference.'' It's long been one of my favorites and my first thought was that it would make a perfect Alison Kraus number. Lost love from one of the great groups of all time _ as much country, by the way, as they were rock.

2. Recently, my Tivo brought me a Shania Twain concert with AKUS as the backing band. It was wonderful. Not for Twain, who doesn't have half of Alison's talent. But for what AKUS sounded like _ Jerry's dobro like an electric guitar; Ron's acoustic guitar like Keith Richards; Larry's drums like ... well, you get the idea. Alison's vocal and fiddle fills were wonderful, far better than Twain's leads. And the last snippet was a classicly funny one-liner she just threw out there.

Wouldn't it have been nice to have broken formula with that kind of instrumental _ not electric, just new? A couple of things on the live album/DVD _ Ron's "Faraway Land'' comes to mind _ are pretty far out instrumentally, certainly in no country/bluegrass mode that I know. Something like that on this album would have made it a little more spontaneous.

I guess what I hoped for was a reach out. To The Band; even to the Grateful Dead's "Workingman's Dead'' or "American Beauty" albums, both mostly acoustic. I'd love to hear AKUS do "Ripple'' or "Brokedown Palace.'' It might be tough, especially "Ripple,'' although Jimmy Dale Gilmour did a pretty interesting version.

Maybe it was too much to hope for. This is good stuff. It's just stuff produced by stars who now seem very much in the mainstream. Yes, what they've done in the past has brought the mainstream closer to them _ they've changed American country music a bit. But being stars, they would seem to have the cachet to do what they want _ as I write this, the album has been out one day and is No. 4 on Amazon's sales list. Maybe innovation would make it No. 1.

5 out of 5 stars

Another great effort from Alison and the Station February 4, 2005
34 out of 38 found this review helpful

At age 33, Alison Krauss has more Grammies - 17 - than any other woman performer (even Aretha Franklin), while her previous studio CD, 2001's New Favorite, is approaching platinum sales levels. These are especially impressive feats considering how true bluegrass lingers far from mainstream country and pop, and how steadfast Krauss's dedication to bluegrass has been.

With her ace band Union Station, Krauss's forte has been a surprising but effective combination of crackling neotrad country and quiet pop. On Lonely Runs Both Ways, she again turns repeatedly to Robert Lee Castleman's intelligent writing along with a Gillian Welch/David Rawlings composition they themselves haven't recorded ("Wouldn't Be So Bad").

Woody Guthrie's "Pastures Of Plenty" gets a brooding interpretation from Union Station's deep-voiced guitarist Dan Tyminski (who sang George Clooney's numbers in O Brother, Where Art Thou?). Tyminski and hard-driving banjoist Ron Block's occasional lead vocals give the CD balance and weight, bringing it back down to earth after Krauss's cerebral singing.

Krauss, who began her recording career as a teen-aged fiddle prodigy, here gives her bowing dark, primeval tones in contrast to her light-as-a-feather vocals. Jerry Douglas plays dobro as imaginatively as ever as Krauss and Union Station transport serious bluegrass into the present without removing it from its past.

5 out of 5 stars

Buy this for "A Living Prayer" February 5, 2005
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

Greetings, bluegrass fans. I'm not among you. This is my 84th review for Ammy, and the first of a bluegrass, folk or country album. I review albums of singers, and generally, that's jazz singers. In fact, of the prior 83, 80 are of jazz singers, while three are of pop singers (Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones and Kate Bush).

My attention to this album was drawn by "Down Beat", the Bible of jazz. They gave a good rating to this, and one critic there gave it 5 stars. "Down Beat" rarely gives 5 stars to singers, so I knew I had to check it out.

I'm glad I did. Alison Krauss has a beautiful, pure voice. Her voice reminds me of Sinead O'Connor (pop) or Luciana Souza or Tierney Sutton (jazz)--one of those strong voices that doesn't strain, crack or pop no matter where she is in either of her second soprano ranges. The Union Station gives her solid backup support throughout.

Through the first 14 cuts, I was on the fence as to whether to give this 4 or 5 stars, which was tempered by the fact that my knowledge of bluegrass isn't anywhere near as complete as it is of jazz. Then I got to the last cut, "A Living Prayer", done by Ms. Krauss alone on guitar. Wow! This is one of the most spiritual songs done in recent years in any genre. It is a "pull your car over to the side of the road and listen to this now!" type of song. To say the least, it is worth the price of the album, and makes it one highly recommended. RC

5 out of 5 stars

Allison Krauss makes bluegrass music cool November 23, 2004
16 out of 22 found this review helpful

Lonely Runs Both Ways is a very good CD. I bought this CD because I enjoyed her work on the hit soundtrack O Brother Where Art Though Allison Krauss is a talented musician and vocalist. She really shows it on this CD.

My favorite song is the first single Restless. It is a great song about how someone can feel so lonely and be always on the run. Allison has such a beautiful and sensitive voice. I really felt the compassion in her voice on this song. Another highlight song for me is If I Didn't Know Any Better. It is a very pretty love song. Unionhouse Branch is a very good bluegrass song. Allison's fiddle playing on this track is so impressive. This song will definitely get you on your feet.

Pastures of Plenty features Allison's bandmate Ron Block on excellent vocals and banjo. I loved this song. It is about how we should work hard to preserve the beauty of the environment in the United States.

Crazy as Me is a track that shows Allison's skill on the acoustic guitar. It is a song about being fed up with all of the lies and deception people bring into relationships sometimes. I think this is one of the best songs on this album because of the lyrics. Allison Krauss makes bluegrass music sound cool. She is a very talented singer with a great band. I really enjoyed this CD.

5 out of 5 stars

Great songs and songwriting! November 27, 2004
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

Alison Krauss and Union Station have done it again!. This new release is definitely worth the wait!. The opener Gravity is just stunning, followed by Restless which is beautiful Alison and Dan's harmonies are breath taking. We also get to hear Dan's vocals on Rain Please Go Away and Pastures of Plenty. Borderline is one of my favorite tracks, and the banjo tinged My Poor Old Heart accented by Jerry Douglas's dobro!. I also like Goodbye is All We Have and Wouldn't Be So Bad. All the songs are winners here! A Living Prayer is just haunting! Alison's pristeen voice with just two guitars music just doesn't get any better. My admiration to Ron for writing such a great song! You won't be disappointed pick this one up! definitely a contender for the grammies and CMAs!.

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