RAISING Sand, the Grammy-winning collaboration with Robert Plant, brought Alison Krauss to a wider audience. Her crystalline vocals melded nicely with Plant’s surprisingly sweet rasp, and suggested that she could push herself in different directions, should she wish.
Well, clearly she doesn’t, for this album sees her safely back in her bluegrass paddock. These 11 songs, none written by Krauss herself, are immaculately presented and perfectly sung. So why are the results somewhat underwhelming? Little here stands out in what becomes a pleasant progression of songs, but nothing more.
Somewhere along the pretty way, a beautiful voice and solid musicianship fails to excite. Darker shades and deeper waters are what’s needed, although the exemplary cover of Richard Thompson’s Dimming Of The Day does at least pick matters up.
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