Alison Krauss & Union Station’s previous two albums ‘New Favorite’ and ‘Live’ have been personal favourites of mine over the past 3 years, so the arrival of this new studio album was a more than welcome treat.
In keeping with the last 2 discs, this album successfully mixes contemporary Country and traditional bluegrass, creating a diverse but cohesive collection of 15 songs.
The tracks come from a variety of excellent writers including Robert Lee Castleman, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Jerry Douglas and Mindy Smith; the songs are all well chosen and consistently strong with the highlights coming from ‘Gravity’, ‘Restless’, ‘Crazy As Me’ (all Castleman compositions), and ‘Wouldn’t Be So Bad’ (Welch & Rawlings).
What separates this disc from the pack is the effortless quality on show in all areas – as ever Krauss’s vocals are smooth and unforced as well as being agile and communicative, but rather than being a showcase for her vocal talents, this (as with all Alison Krauss & Union Station albums) gives equal footing to the musicians. Dan Tyminski, Ron Block, Jerry Douglas and Barry Bales are amongst the best in the genre and the acoustic guitar and dobro playing in particular is as good as you could hear anywhere; the musical picture is completed by Krauss’s excellent fiddle work.
While this may be crossover Country/progressive bluegrass at its most accessible, there’s no compromise in the production – it’s clear, clean, crisp and perfectly balanced between vocals and instrumentation.
‘Lonely Runs Both Ways’ is an excellent album – strong songs combined with stunning vocals and a peerless group of musicians is a recipe guaranteed to succeed. Highly recommended.

£13.49