The frail singer Alison Krauss is almost single-handedly responsible for the renewed popularity of bluegrass, the traditional form of country music. Without affecting the character of the music, she incorporated elements from pop into this rural music. On Lonely Runs Both Ways you immediately notice the enormous craftsmanship of the musicians. From the fantastic Dobro player Jerry Douglas, for
… example, and guitarist and banjo player Ron Block, but also from Alison herself, who is not only a singer, but also a great violinist. This time no flirts with pop songs, but striking interpretations of songs by folk singers like Gilian Welch and Woody Guthrie. The songs therefore need a little longer to take root, but they gain eloquence per listen. The songs sung by Alison are interspersed with guitarist Dan Tyminski sung, more traditional sounding repertoire. Despite her star status, Alison Krauss continues to present herself as part of the collective Union Station. With this CD she proves once again that she is right. (MS)more