Shana P. from PORTLAND, ME Reviewed on 8/7/2006...
This is Alison Krauss's brother. I didn't listen to the CD very much.
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CD Reviews
Why grouse about Krauss?
Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 03/05/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"What we've got here is more glorious Heartland Jazz, right up there with the finest of Bill Frisell and Joel Harrison's spectacular Free Country.Flawless interaction between dobro vet Jerry and Bill Frisell plying his usual trade of wacky and whacked-out acoustic and electric guitars. Sister Alison contributing mysterioso ambient vocals. That dusty, hardbitten South/Southwest sensibility. What more do you want?If you're looking for pyrotechnics, this ain't the place. If you're after a mellow, bloozy, slightly off-kilter Midwest/Southern/Western vibe, this is your disc. Sorta like Ry Cooder's Mambo Sinuendo translated to the American Heartland.Dig it."
Liked it a lot. Frisell & Douglas play great together.
Jan P. Dennis | 02/05/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is another fine session involving guitarist Bill Frisell. He and Krauss made great music on the "Gone Just Like a Train" album, and this is something like a cross between that and "Nashville." The difference is that Krauss' compositions have a little more rigid form, and there are more up-tempo pieces. Those who look for the more esoteric material might come away disappointed. As expected, the interplay between Frisell and Jerry Douglas' dobro is exquisite; it echoes Frisell's great work with lap steel player Greg Leisz. Krauss plays very well throughout. I like that his writing fits somewhere in between jazz, instrumental rock, and bluegrass. Sister Allison Krauss adds fine vocals and some viola. As mentioned earlier, their cover of Robert Plant's "Big Log" is wonderful."
Incredible Record!
Bill Staby | New Yawk | 05/08/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Found this record in the Bluegrass section (of all places) at our local J&R Music. Frankly I bought it because I liked the cover art and, at first, I didn't make the connection to big-star sister Alison. Expecting "edgy bluegrass" or "alt bluegrass" (e.g. Hackensaw Boys)I was blown away when I played it through. Bill Frisell's influence is clear throughout and Jerry Douglas is just so tasteful (as usual). All I can say is that this is a really fine album. Big canvas, broad wash of subtle colors underneath, fine details on top. It's a moody and reflective thing with a lot going on."
Bass Work Effortlessly Superb
R. Gorham | 12/15/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"THE BAND: Viktor Krauss (all things bass, electric piano, guitar), Bill Frisell (electric & acoustic guitars), Jerry Douglas (guitars, dobro, lap steel guitar, Weissenborn), Steve Jordan (drums, percussion, conga), and Alison Krauss (backing atmospheric vocals).
THE DISC: (2004) Recorded at Sound Emporium and Brown Cloud in Nashville, TN. 12 songs clocking in at approximately 56 minutes. The disc comes with a 10-page booklet featuring songs (and the players on each song), song credits, band pictures and thank you's. Except for track 6 ("Big Log"), Krauss authored or co-authored all songs. Label - Nonesuch.
COMMENTS: Bluesy, Jazzy, New Age... hard to classify. With that being said, I found this disc in the "Country/Western" section of the store. Great background music. Cerebral, hypnotic, dreamy, eccentric. This disc gets better with age - perhaps as I get older (?)... and I bet the young audience simply won't connect with what their ears are hearing. Mood pieces such as "Overcast" and "Side Street", as well as elements of hard rock in "Grit Lap", "Here To Me" and "Tended". Viktor Krauss is a master on all makes of bass guitar... period. Krauss has been instrumental (as a session musician) in helping other feature artists make their records - including Lyle Lovett, Bill Frisell, Michael McDonald, Steve Forbert, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, Acoustic Alchemy, Jason White and sister Alison. It's about time he had his own release - and this one shines. "Far From Enough" is an instrumental album... containing only one gem-of-a-song with lyrics... a remake of Robert Plant's "Big Log" (Krauss is a big fan of Plant's and Led Zeppelin). He slows the "Big Log" down even more so and Allison's voice is simply devine here. Great disc. * Curious - my disc has a different photograph on the front cover... the same brown tinted black & white type photo, but it shows Krauss squatting down and leaning up against a garage... with an old VW Beetle on one side and a big bass in its case on the other (?)."