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.
Peter Rowan's minor-key bluegrass stomper "Dust Bowl Children" features Dan Tyminski's trademark vocal. It's angry, bewildered, and determined. The interplay between
Ron Block's banjo,
Barry Bales' driving bassline, and
Jerry Douglas' dobro is earthy, lean, and mean. Brother
Viktor Krauss and
Angel Snow contributed "Lie Awake," a spooky, broken love song full of swooping dobro and
Krauss' forlorn fiddle. Only
US could empathically back her searching, desperate vocal.
Paper Airplane is sequenced beautifully. The reading of
Richard Thompson's "Dimming of the Day" is the hinge piece on the record (and rivals the title track for the best thing here). This is
Krauss' finest vocal performance this time out; although it doesn't rival
Linda Thompson's original, it doesn't need to: it's devastating in expressing raw need, loss, and emptiness from a protagonist in the middle of a time of trial.
Sidney Cox's "Bonita and Bill Butler" is a banjo-driven seafaring tragedy sung exquisitely by Tyminski before
Paper Airplane closes with a stellar cover of
Jackson Browne's "My Opening Farewell," which brings the album full circle, leaving the listener to meditate upon life's many episodes.
Krauss' version wrings more sheer acceptance from the lyrics than
Browne's own does.
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. ~ Thom Jurek