Alison Krauss And Union Station - New Favorite - Amazon.com Music (original) (raw)

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Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2024

Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2002

This disc was my first full introduction to Allison Krauss and I am hooked.
I first saw Allison and band on both the PBS Bluegrass special w/Ricky Skaggs as well as Austin City Limits. While her peformances on both of those were good (good enough to get me to buy the disc) those performances did not both singer and band justice.
This album is on the border of bluegrass and neo-folk. The ballads that Allison sings (that's pretty much all "she" sings) are poinant and thoughtful. The first track "Let me touch you for a while" will absolutely make you wish you were the subject of the song, sitting in the bar, staring into your whiskey with heartbreak on your mind.
Dan Tyminski is the other singer on this disc and his tunes are all bluegrass. Allison occassionally will back him up with some nice harmonies but that is about the extent of their vocal interaction. "The Boy Who Couldn't Hoe Corn" has some marvelous dobro action on it -- slow and languid that builds up into a full bore blues-grass outing.
I am a big fan of songwriting and unfortunately the band only pens 3 or 4 of the tunes on the disc: the bluegrass ones. It appears that the producers of this project spent their money buying great songs for Allison to sing while leaving the band to pick their way through their own songs with some "interesting" forced rhymes and odd phrasing.
All this said, I really really like this disc. The depth of its overall sound (the mixing is great), Allison's stunning vocals, Dan's great bluegrass sound, nice intrumentation from Union Station make this a significant "package". I like this so much, I mailed a couple of copies to friends.
This may not be quintessential Allison Krauss and Union Station but it is a downright awesome CD none-the-less.

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Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2017

The combination of Alison and "The Boys" could never be matched. Jerry Douglas, Barry Bales, Ron Block & Dan Tyminski are in my opinion, unmatched in musicianship, finesse, and incredible talent! Jerry is probably the greatest Dobro player anywhere [professionally finishes every phrase; every solo!]. Barry has an incredible talent for laying down the backbeat for this band - best stand-up bass in the business. Ron's banjo playing never ceases to amaze me - I never realized how much a banjo can actually be an up-front melody-maker type instrument that can actually bust out on a solo like a guitar or mandolin, etc. And then there's Dan. Unmatched incredible guitar playing, either when bringing up the background or soloing like you've never heard an acoustic be played ever. And to boot, there's Ron & Dan's vocals blending in and around Alison's one of a kind, pure, soft vocals. Absolutely incredible harmonies in their vocals. The Boys must have been pretty impressed and very satisfied to add Alison's excellent fiddle playing into their "mix" also. What an all around top-notch unmatched band and album/CD. Recommend to ALL!

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Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2015

New Favorite" is just that, one of my new favorites. I have long been a fan of Dan Tyminski and Ron Block, and here they sound great as always, but the magic really comes from combining their guitar virtuosity with Barry Bales and Jerry Douglas' musicianship, and Alison Krauss' angelic voice and fine fiddling. This album respects the roots of bluegrass but isn't afraid to be innovative.

I'm not really sure what my favorite songs on the CD are as there are literally none that I don't like. I love the frenetic bluegrass roots of "Choctaw Hayride", while I can't get enough of the soulful and somber "Crazy Faith", Tyminski's lead vocals and performance on "The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn" are outstanding, and Ron Block's banjo on "Bright Sunny South" along with Dan Tyminski's gospel-tinged vocals (which he is perfectly suited to) are musical perfection.

On "New Favorite" Alison Krauss and Union Station demonstrate an amazing blend of musicianship and vocals that I found absolutely captivating. I highly recommend this album.

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Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2002

While Alison Krauss and Union Station (AKUS) have not had a whole lot of support from country radio in the past, they continue to be a force to reckon with in bluegrass music.

This CD is my favorite - no pun intended - by AKUS, it's very cool the way Krauss shares lead vocal duties with Dan Tyminski (George Clooney's voice in O Brother). I love his voice on "The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn". The best song on the CD, in my opinion, is "Let Me Touch You for a While" - Krauss' voice just soars! "The Lucky One" is a fairly upbeat song and "Choctaw Hayride" is a rollicking instrumental with Earl Scruggs on banjo. Tyminski pops back up on lead vocals for "Momma Cried", another haunting song. The Gillian Welch penned title track closes out the CD with a bang.

The highest profile band in bluegrass is still going strong and show no signs of slowing down - Krauss is not even 30 yet. Keep it coming AKUS!

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Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2017

Not a new album, but really a classic of modern bluegrass and country sound. Beautiful material, beautifully recorded. The playing is superb, and Alison's voice shows its versatility. As with most of the albums by this group, there is a wide range of style, but the styles don't conflict or generate a jarring experience when heard in sequence.

The song, "New Favorite," is more of a folk-pop tune than a country song. It's been used in countless mixtapes, videos, etc. When you hear it, you're likely to recognize it even if you haven't heard the album before. It's a beautiful, affecting song, and felt quite innovative in its day.

With the enormous popularity of crossover folk-country-acoustic albums in the last few years, "New Favorite" feels right at home - it was ahead of its time. Musically, one can draw a line from this and Krauss's other work, to the songs on TV's "Nashville" and many others.

Well worth buying and enjoying.

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Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2023

Quick delivery, great CD in great condition!

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2023

great sound cd & the songs are so melodic.

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Great album

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2024

5.0 out of 5 stars Great album by artists who just get deeper and deeper

Reviewed in Canada on March 8, 2019

Another great Krauss/Union Stn album. Maturing artists, getting better and better. Some beautiful, moving stuff and some kick-butt double time tunes too. And Dan Tyminski really steps out here. What's not to like? Highly recommended.

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice bluegrass style.

Reviewed in Australia on April 13, 2024

Alison Krauss and Co. Never fail to record a fine album.

5.0 out of 5 stars Most beautiful voice and a great band.

Reviewed in India on May 17, 2017

Alison Krauss has the most beautiful voice. All her CDs are worth having. This CD is Alison Krauss & Union Station. Nothing more to say.

5.0 out of 5 stars Grandissima interprete e qualita' della registrazione eccezionale

Reviewed in Italy on January 22, 2017

Non conoscevo Alison Krauss e l'ho scoperta per caso menzionata in una recensione di componenti audio su What-hifi, usato come Cd di prova.
La musica e' folk americano, abbastanza easy ma la voce ed i musicisti sono degni di nota.
Il Cd si fa' ascoltare e scorre via in modo estremamente piacevole.
Una nota particolare per la qualita' di registrazione: sensazionale.
E' un disco di riferimento se volete apprezzare a fondo le caratteristiche di un impianto audio.
Per contro, migliore l'impianto, maggiore sara' il piacere di cogliere i dettagli elegantissimi della registrazione in esame.
Per il resto qualita' Amazon: consegna in anticipo sulla data prevista.