Throughout music history there are the rare artists that transcend the genre in which they got their start. In doing so, they often become thought of as an artist without a home or an innovator, depending on your point of view. One artist who has done just that is Alison Krauss.
Starting out in the bluegrass festival circuit at a very young age, she soon joined the Missouri based Sally Mountain Show replacing Rhonda Vincent while Vincent pursued a solo career in country music. Krauss began to stand out amongst the crowd with both her fiddle work and her singing and at age 12 recorded her first album with her brothers band. She moved then to Union Station and began to blossom into an artist in her own right, recording her first album with the group for Rounder Records in 1987, at 14 years old..
As she became more of a prominent feature of Union Station, her material began to broaden and her cover of the Keith Whitely song “When You Say nothing At All,” reached No. 3 on the Billboard country charts and became the surprise hit of 1995.
While keeping roots in the bluegrass genre, Krauss and Union Station began to explore a hybrid of bluegrass, country and Americana. At the same time, Krauss was becoming a sought after harmony vocalist and duet partner, making her mark on many songs including the No. 1 country song “Whiskey Lullaby” with Brad Paisley.
Never one to pay much mind to genre borders, Krauss teamed up with Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant and producer T-Bone Burnett to record the Americana Music Association Album of the Year Raising Sand.
A Hundred Miles Or More: Live From The Tracking Room is a DVD recorded to celebrate the release of last years Krauss greatest hits collection and was originally aired on the GAC network.
The nine songs included on the DVD are recorded live in the studio with members of Union Station (Ron Block, Dan Tyminski Jerry Douglas and Barry Bales) and augmented by Abraham Laboriel, Greg Morrow, Gordon Mote, Stuart Duncan and others.
Also joining Krauss in the studio is Tony Rice, who plays guitar on “Sawing On The Strings” and “Shadows,” Brad Paisley and James Taylor, with re-recordings of their songs “Whiskey Lullaby” and “How’s The World Treating You,” respectively.
Interspersed throughout are interviews with both Krauss and many of the musicians as they discuss the songs and the artistry of Krauss. For the fan of Krauss this will be a must-have DVD and companion to the CD collection. For more casual fans this offers an excellent look at performer and a chance to sample a range of her material.
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