1 post tagged “alison krauss”
The day I give up the ghost, this is the voice I expect to hear. That is, if I done as right as I've tried to do in this life.
Never Got Off The Ground
Alison Krauss ~ Forget About It
There are songs which better showcase her talents, but this one fits this cold, sunny day just perfectly. Alison is one of those rare performers who garnish awards for multiple talents. She is equally adept with the violin as she is with her incredibly pure soprano voice.
I first became aware of Alison Krauss in the early nineties, when compiling music samples for a touch screen-based in-store music previewing system called the iStation. We had over 45,000 albums of all genres in the database, which functioned much like iTunes, accessible by search or barcode scan. For compiling these samples the upstart in SF recruited dozens of musicians from the SF Conservatory of Music, who possessed an amazing array of talent and knowledge of classical and jazz music. There were more recruited from KUSF with a keen awareness of rock, reggae and alternative/punk. I began working there as a librarian responsible for archiving all the CDs for quick and easy access, when I noticed there was no one there with an inkling of appreciation for country, bluegrass, or roots/blues music. Finally, my midwestern, time warped upbringing would prove useful. I mean, my first car was a 22 year-old Studebaker Hawk, fer Chrissakes.
There were boxes and boxes of these albums ranging from big-label, manufactured-patriotic, achy-breaky schlock to collections of exquisite, previously rare recordings that documented the historical roots of music in America, back to the days before popular music split into country and jazz, then rhythm & blues and rock & roll. Much of this history was found in the catalog of Rounder Records, still my favorite label. They were also the first to revive The Shaggs, for better or worse.
Not content to rely solely on the curious and anthropological for their label's success, Rounder signed a number of up-and-comers who were regulars in the festival circuit where this historical chain was unbroken. These were thought initially to be commercially unviable talents by the major labels. Alison Krauss was one of these talents. Hailing from Illinois, she'd been a regular on the bluegrass circuit as a violin virtuoso since age 7. She had her first record deal at 15 and won numerous Grammys since then. Despite of all her successes, she has always remained true to the spirit of her music with grace and humility. She has also remained loyal to the label that gave her her big break, sharing successes symbiotically.
Everytime I listen to her sing, it triggers a lump in the throat and watery eyes. Only Kristina and a moving performance of hula can do that consistently. It's heaven to me.
