Sold Date: July 2, 2014
Start Date: June 25, 2014
Final Price: $134.75 (USD)
Bid Count: 28
Seller Feedback: 130
Buyer Feedback: 274

Over the past 15 years, Alison Krauss + Union Station have helped bluegrass grow from a regional art form to a nationwide sensation. New Favorite, their newest collection, is a gem: a set of artful, soulful songs that will appeal not only to long term fans, but also to those who recently discovered the band through the hit movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? Continuing in the longstanding tradition of alternating Alison Krauss solo albums with Alison Krauss + Union Station collaborations, New Favorite, the follow-up to 1999's Forget About It, is a full-band effort, featuring, along with Krauss's own virtuoso fiddling and exquisite vocals, Dan Tyminski (the singing voice of George Clooney in the movie) on guitar, mandolin, and two lead vocals, Ron Block on banjo, guitar and vocals, Jerry Douglas on Dobro, and Barry Bales on bass and vocals. The result is a masterful blend of voices and instruments, of styles and of souls. With 13 tracks of hard-driving bluegrass, introspective ballads, and everything in-between, New Favorite stands as the definitive Alison Krauss + Union Station album. 
New Favorite combines the approaches in balancing the softer sounds with the rougher-edged material. Krauss particularly shines on the soulful title tune of love gone cold, her vocal--softer than a cloud and more intimate than a midnight kiss--threatening to steal your breath away. However, it's mostly the older sounds that you'll remember from this largely somber album, one that telegraphs uncertainty, doom, and the promise of bloodshed throughout much of the repertoire. 
On "Momma Cried," a song about a child-snatching that tore a family asunder, Dan Tyminski's tenor vocals rise above a wailing Dobro, a driving banjo, and a thumping, anchoring bass to convey unspeakable pain. 
At the center of "New Favorite" are the songs: thirteen exquisite gems, ranging from delicate to raucous. "I do most of the song-searching," says Alison, "but Union Station sits down together as a band and decides which songs we'll record and how they'll be arranged. If I bring in a song, I'll usually have a feeling associated with it, then we'll arrange off of that." 
2002 Grammy Award winner for Best Bluegrass Album, Best Country Song ("The Lucky One"), and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group ("The Lucky One"). 
Musicians: Alison Krauss, vocals; Barry Bales, bass & harmony vocals; Ron Block, banjo & guitar; Jerry Douglas, dobro; Dan Tyminski, acoustic guitar, lead & harmony vocals. 
Selections:  1. Let Me Touch You For Awhile  2. The Boy Who Couldn't Hoe Corn  3. The Lucky One  4. Choctaw Hayride  5. Crazy Faith  6. Momma Cried  7. I'm Gone  8. Daylight  9. Bright Sunny South  10. Stars  11. It All Comes Down To You  12. Take Me For Longing  13. New Favorite