[ Concord / LP ]
Release Date: Friday 8 December 2023
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A truly breathtaking collection of 11 exquisite songs, Paper Airplane is Alison Krauss' 14th album and the band's follow-up to 2004's triple Grammy® winning Lonely Runs Both Ways (Rounder). It is Krauss' first release since her 2007 internationally acclaimed, multi-platinum collaboration with Robert Plant, Raising Sand, which won six Grammys including Record Of The Year and Album Of The Year.
Alison Krauss and Union Station features the talents of Krauss (fiddle and lead vocals), Dan Tyminski (guitar, mandolin and lead vocals), Barry Bales (bass and harmony vocals), Ron Block (banjo, guitar and harmony vocals), and Jerry Douglas (Dobro and harmony vocals). Paper Airplane was produced by the band and recorded in Nashville with engineer Mike Shipley (Maroon 5, The Cars, Def Leppard, Joni Mitchell). As bluegrass virtuosos the members of Union Station are beyond compare, and the music they create together transcends all genres. Their work on films such as Cold Mountain and O Brother, Where Art Thou? has contributed immeasurably to a renaissance of American roots music.
Anyone who's paid attention to Alison Krauss' musical career, with and without Union Station, had to wonder what would happen after the unprecedented success of 2007's Raising Sand, her collaboration with Robert Plant. For her, the next logical move was to reunite with US, who had been dormant since 2004's Lonely Runs Both Ways and whose members all had busy solo careers. Given the long layoff, Paper Airplane was produced by US and engineered and mixed by Mike Shipley. According to Krauss, it was harder to complete than any previous album.Thankfully, it doesn't sound like it. It is a melancholy record, its songs largely revolve around themes of trial and perseverance. The title track that opens the record is a lilting country ballad written by Robert Lee Castleman and informed by Krauss' own recent life experiences. Her vocal is wrenching; it's utterly vulnerable in expressing love's loss, yet it's steely in its resolve, recognizing an eventual emergence. Paper Airplane is very polished -- pristine, even -- but there isn't an extra thing on it. It feels organic and authentic, allowing plenty of room for the emotional power in these songs to come forth. Union Station proves once more that it is a contemporary bluegrass outfit that makes no concession to contemporary country music. - AllMusic
1 Paper Airplane
2 Dust Bowl Children
3 Lie Awake
4 Lay My Burden Down
5 My Love Follows You Where You Go
6 Dimming of the Day
7 On the Outside Looking In
8 Miles to Go
9 Sinking Stone
10 Bonita and Bill Butler
11 My Opening Farewell