New Favorite [HYBRID SACD]

Alison Krauss, Alison Krauss and Union Station

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 19, 2002)
• Original Release Date: August 14, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Hybrid SACD
• Label: Rounder / Umgd
• ASIN: B00006FN90
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (143 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #118,262 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
After her 1999 gold release, Forget About It, Alison Krauss has found additional success as part of the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou?--an album that's done more to advance the cause of bluegrass since Bill Monroe first conjured the music out of the hills of western Kentucky. While Forget About It showcased the more contemporary part of Krauss's musical equation and the O Brother soundtrack spotlighted the more traditional, New Favorite combines the approaches in balancing the softer sounds with the rougher-edged material. Krauss particularly shines on the soulful title tune of love gone cold, her vocal--softer than a cloud and more intimate than a midnight kiss--threatening to steal your breath away. However, it's mostly the older sounds that you'll remember from this largely somber album, one that telegraphs uncertainty, doom, and the promise of bloodshed throughout much of the repertoire. On "Momma Cried," a song about a child-snatching that tore a family asunder, Dan Tyminski's tenor vocals rise above a wailing Dobro, a driving banjo, and a thumping, anchoring bass to convey unspeakable pain. Too many of the pop-minded songs fall flat in comparison, but although this may not be the group's best effort overall, no other crossover bluegrass band begins to meet their mark either musically or emotionally, as New Favorite so amply shows. --Alanna Nash

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "bluegrass shining beacon, is the remarkable...Alison", September 15, 2001

By	J. Lovins "Mr. Jim" (Missouri-USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: New Favorite (Audio CD)

How can you keep getting better and better, well whatever the formula...Alison Krauss and Union Station have found it...the result is pure entertainment through good ole bluegrass.

This 30 year old artist, who signed with the Rounder label when she was 14, is without a doubt, the shining beacon on the bluegrass scene...plus the Union Station gang ~ Barry Bales (acoustic bass), Ron Block (banjo/guitar), Jerry Douglas (dobro/lap steel guitar) and Dan Tyminski (guitar/mandolin) with lead and backup make for a "CHOCTAW HAYRIDE", just pickin' and a grinnin' with the Illinois State Fiddle Champion, Alison Krauss, won at a very early age...gotta love it!

Friends, as you play this CD over and over again, your favorite song changes or one more is added, can't say enough about the talent on this particular album, a must have...want to leave Rounder Records a tip, keep up the good work, need more of the same...when you say "O Brother Where Art Thou", it's here...now that I've found you, you're my NEW FAVORITE!

You might try other Rounder releases with Alison Krauss, all worthy of a good listen ~ "Forget About It" (116-610-465)..."So Long So Wrong" (116-610-365)..."Now That I've found You:A Collection" (116-610-325)..."Every Time You Say Goodbye" (116-610-285)...please check my reviews on amazon.com/music.

Total Time: 45:07 on 13 Tracks ~ Rounder Records 11661-0495-2 ~ (2001)

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My "New Favorite" album from one of my Favorite musicians!, August 17, 2001

By	Kori Frazier (Kent, OH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: New Favorite (Audio CD)

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!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No expectations, June 16, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: New Favorite (Audio CD)

It seems that most of the negative or lukewarm reviews here are written by those who approached this record with expectations of what bluegrass should be, or what Krauss & Union Station should be, or what country should be.

I came in with none of those. I know almost nothing about bluegrass or AKUS...I'm not even sure what a dobro is.

I heard "Lucky One" on an "adult alternative" radio station, of all places, and had heard about Krauss' talent, so I took a chance on this CD. I'm not a country fan nor a bluegrass fan by any means, I just thought it was a pretty song.

It turns out that the whole CD is very strong, filled with beautifully written and performed songs. There's definitely a pop feel to a few of the tunes, such as Fogelberg's "Stars", but every one is played and sung with feeling and musicianship. The production values are excellent too -- no studio gimmicks, just pure sounds crystal clear.

It's hard to imagine anyone who appreciates music being let down by this set.