Just Because I'm a Woman: The Songs of Dolly Parton

Sugar Hill Records – SUG CD 3980A

Format: CD, Advance, Album, Promo
Country: US
Released: 2003
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country, Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 9 to 5: Alison Krauss (03:03)
02 I Will Always Love You: Melissa Etheridge (03:19)
03 The Grass is Blue: Norah Jones (03:48)
04 Do I Ever Cross Your Mind: Joan Osborne (04:00)
05 The Seeker: Shelby Lynne (04:23)
06 Jolene: Mindy Smith (04:15)
07 To Daddy: Emmylou Harris (02:44)
08 Coat of Many Colors: Alison Krauss / Alison Krauss & Union Station (03:15)
09 Little Sparrow: Kasey Chambers (04:02)
10 Dagger Through the Heart: Sinéad O'Connor (04:25)
11 Light of a Clear Blue Morning: Allison Moorer (05:34)
12 Two Doors Down: Meshell Ndegeocello (02:56)
13 Just Because I'm a Woman: Dolly Parton (05:35)
[Credits]
Producer: Dolly Parton, Brian Ahern, Steve Buckingham, Rick DePofi, R.S. Field, Meshell Ndegeocello and Melinda Smith, Engineer: Graham Bolger, John Leventhal, Neal Cappellino, Keith Cenname, Donivan Cowart, Bradley Hartman, Greg Hayes, Russ Long, Jeff McCormac, Jay Newland, Gary Paczosa, Chris Reynolds, Bruce Robb and Sasha Victory
[Notes]
While most of the world knows Dolly Parton as a glitzy bundle of multimedia entertainment who is a near-unavoidable presence on television, movies, and CD racks, displaying her big smile, big hair, and big -- well, you know -- what sadly few people acknowledge is that Parton, when she puts her mind to it, is one of the best singer/songwriters in country music. The fact that artists as diverse as Whitney Houston, Emmylou Harris, and the White Stripes have all discovered remarkable things in Parton's songs says a lot about the beauty, honesty, and grace of her best work, and Just Because I'm a Woman: The Songs of Dolly Parton features 12 noted female artists offering their own interpretations of Parton's compositions. If there's anyone in Nashville whose work merits such treatment, it's Parton, and thankfully practically everyone on Just Because I'm a Woman delivers the goods; "9 to 5" may not be remembered as one of Parton's more stellar tunes, but Alison Krauss discovers a bittersweet working-class anthem lurking beneath its cheery surface, while Melissa Etheridge keeps her sub-Joplin vocal histrionics in check for a fine version of "I Will Always Love You," Me'Shell NdegéOcello transforms "Two Doors Down" into a potent and sensual slice of late-night funk, and Nash Vegas interloper Shania Twain surprisingly hits just the right emotional spot on "Coat of Many Colors." Elsewhere, Norah Jones, Kasey Chambers, Allison Moorer, Sinéad O'Connor, and Mindy Smith all offer powerful and idiosyncratic performances that add their own personalities to Parton's songs without losing sight of the plain-spoken eloquence that makes them so effective. About the only true disappointment here is Emmylou Harris' take on "To Daddy," which is brilliant but was recycled from her 1978 album, Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town; one wonders why Harris didn't opt to cut a new track for this album, but the presence of Dolly herself, offering a new version of "Just Because I'm a Woman," certainly compensates. In the movie Norma Rae, there's a great scene where Norma's boyfriend treats her to a night out at the roadhouse, and she beams when a Dolly Parton single comes up on the jukebox, saying she loves her songs "because the words are so true." As glorious as Parton's crystal-clear soprano may be, it's the stories she's used her voice to tell that truly set her apart, and Just Because I'm a Woman offers a worthy tribute to the woman Joan Osborne describes as "a gifted artist cleverly disguised as a media superstar and sex bomb." A second volume is certainly in order. - AllMusic Review by Mark Deming

Putumayo Presents Bluegrass

Putumayo World Music – PUT 319-2

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2012
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 Every Time You Say Goodbye: Alison Krauss / Union Station (03:15)
02 Been Down This Road: Railroad Earth (04:48)
03 Jackaroo: Jerry Garcia / David Grisman (03:59)
04 New Night Dawning: Andrea Zonn (03:18)
05 Across the Great Divide: Frank Solivan II (03:51)
06 Man of Constant Sorrow: Peter Rowan (04:47)
07 Shady Grove: James Alan Shelton (03:09)
08 New Railroad: Crooked Still (03:14)
09 Boots of Spanish Leather: The Seldom Scene (04:50)
10 The Last Goodbye: Uncle Earl (03:39)
11 Diggin' on the Mountainside: Town Mountain (03:47)
12 Diamond Joe: Sam Bush (03:38)
13 I'll Fly Away: Jeff Autry / Wayne Benson / Aubrey Haynie / Rob Ickes / Mark Schatz (03:19)
[Credits]
Producer: Dan Storper, Liner Notes: Holly George-Warren, Coordinator: Akari Uchiyama, Burton Yount, Cody Searles and John McQueeney, Artwork: Nicola Heindl, Designer: Burton Yount, Engineer: Lane Gibso
[Notes]
Born out of the tradition of the old Southern ensemble string bands of the 19th century, bluegrass is no older as a genre than rock & roll is, and both were born when the amplification of instruments became widely available in the '50s. What gives bluegrass the feel of being an older music form is the continued use of the old string band tunes, speeding them up, giving them lift, and reinventing them over and over again, so it probably should come as no surprise that two of the biggest highlights on this set of bluegrass performances are versions of old traditional songs, Peter Rowan's take on "Man of Constant Sorrow" and Sam Bush's rendition of "Diamond Joe." All in all, this is a very pleasant playlist. - AllMusic Bluegrass Review by Steve Leggett

Alison Krauss + Union Station Live

Rounder Records 11661-0515-2

Format: 2 x CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2002
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country, Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
Disk One
01 Let Me Touch You for Awhile (3:45)
02 Choctaw Hayride (3:25)
03 The Lucky One (3:40)
04 Baby, Now That I've Found You (5:02)
05 Bright Sunny South (3:07)
06 Every Time You Say Goodbye (3:04)
07 Tiny Broken Heart (3:08)
08 Cluck Old Hen (2:47)
09 Stay (3:16)
10 Broadway (3:57)
11 Ghost in This House (4:29)
12 Forget About It (3:18)
13 Faraway Land (3:21)
Disc Two
01 A Tribute to Peador O'Donnell / Monkey Let the Hogs Out (4:58)
02 The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn (5:58)
03 Take Me for Longing (2:47)
04 I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow (4:12)
05 Maybe (4:25)
06 We Hide & Seek (5:41)
07 But You Know I Love You (3:39)
08 When You Say Nothing at All (4:21)
09 New Favorite (4:00)
10 Oh, Atlanta (6:47)
11 Down to the River to Pray (2:10)
12 There Is a Reason (5:13)
[Credits]
Alison Krauss (fiddle/vocals) Jerry Douglas (dobro/vocals) Dan Tyminski (guitar/mandolin/vocals) Ron Block (guitar/banjo/vocals) Barry Bales (bass/vocals) Larry Atamanuik (drums)
[Notes]
Given Alison Krauss' tremendous popularity and her status as the first female bluegrass singer to cross over into genuine pop marketability, and given the fact that her guitarist, Dan Tyminski, is the voice behind "Man of Constant Sorrow" (or at least the version that served as an idée fixe in the blockbuster movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?), a live album was inevitable. That it should be a two-disc set can simply be chalked up to good luck. Unless you're a bluegrass purist, that is, looking for music that preserves the traditional Appalachian sounds of Ralph Stanley and Bill Monroe. Listeners of that mindset will be bitterly disappointed by the presence of modern singer/songwriter fare ("Lucky One," "Let Me Touch You for a While"), by the drums on "Oh, Atlanta," and, most of all, by those dreadful call-and-response vocals on the chorus of "Man of Constant Sorrow" (which, you can hear them sniff, Tyminski takes at about twice the appropriate speed). All of this would explain why bluegrass purists are no fun to be around and, one suspects, don't have very much fun in private either. The simple fact is that every time Krauss opens her mouth to sing, angels stop what they're doing and take notes. There may be no musical pleasure quite as pure and sweet as listening to Krauss sing "Baby, Now That I've Found You" or "When You Say Nothing at All." And when she starts in on the impossibly beautiful gospel tune "Down to the River to Pray," the effect is almost disturbingly moving. Which brings listeners to the problem with this album, which is the amount of time it spends on stuff other than Alison Krauss singing great songs. The instrumental bits, the Jerry Douglas showcases, and Tyminski's requisite rendition of "Man of Constant Sorrow" are all fine, but they end up feeling like filler. Still, this album can be solidly recommended to modern bluegrass fans in general and to Krauss' many fans in particular. -- AllMusic Review by Rick Anderson

Paper Airplane: Alison Krauss & Union Station

Rounder Records 11661-0665-1

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 2011
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Paper Airplane (3:36)
A2 Dust Bowl Children (3:06)
A3 Lie Awake (3:55)
A4 Lay My Burden Down (3:52)
A5 My Love Follows You Where You Go (4:03)
A6 Dimming Of The Day (5:20)
B1 On The Outside Looking In (3:35)
B2 Miles To Go (2:54)
B3 Sinking Stone (4:42)
B4 Bonita And Bill Butler (4:03)
B5 My Opening Farewell (4:09)
[Credits]
Alison Krauss (fiddle/vocals) Dan Tyminski (guitar/mandolin/vocals) Jerry Douglas (dobro/vocals) Ron Block (banjo/guitar) Barry Bales (bass/vocals)
Producer: Alison Krauss & Union Station, Photographer: Randee St. Nicholas, Designer: Meat And Potatoes, Inc., Engineers: Neal Cappellino, Kyle Ford, Ted Wheeler, Tom Freitag, Mike Shipley & Brian Wohlgemuth
[Notes]
Paper Airplane is an album by Alison Krauss and Union Station. It was released on April 12, 2011 and marks Krauss's 14th album and her first release with Union Station since Lonely Runs Both Ways in 2004. It includes cover versions of "My Opening Farewell" and "Dimming of the Day", which were originally recorded by Jackson Browne and Richard Thompson, respectively.