Too Late To Cry [Import]

Still.... if she had not appeared until today and suddenly this recording appeared, it would be at least as head-turning today as it was 15 years ago. No other vocalist in the genre approaches this kind of material with this kind of instrumentation with THAT kind of voice. Alison surrounded herself by superstars like Sam Bush and Jerry Douglas, so the supporting cast was top-notch.

In her first recording she was both astonishingly new and talented, but also showed great promise of things to come. In the recordings that followed she has unfailingly measured up to that promise. Even in her first record she began showing her taste for sorrowful mournful tunes of doomed love, even on uptempto tunes like "Don't Follow Me" and the title "Too Late to Cry". She also began demonstrating her talent for beautiful slow ballads like "Gentle River".

Required stuff for those who want the complete Alison Krauss collection, but I knock it down to 4 stars because the maturity of her voice and mastery of material would show up in full on later recordings.

The songs are mostly obscure, the most widely known being Song for life, which is a classic from the pen of Rodney Crowell. Alison plays the fiddle on all tracks where one is used, but there are two instrumentals, both covers (Tony Trischka's Forgotten pictures and the traditional Dusty Miller) that demonstrate Alison's skills as a fiddler very clearly. The remaining songs are only originals, mostly from the pen of John Pennell.

This may not be the best album that Alison ever recorded - though some think it is and I can understand why - but it is certainly among the best. It's not difficult to figure out why Alison has been so successful. If you are unfamiliar with Alison's early music, you should first try Now that I've found you - A collection. If you enjoy that, particularly the track Sleep on (taken from this album), give this a listen.

I think this recording is just about as perfect as anything since Abbey Road. Each song is a little gem. I really prefer Alison's voice as it sounds in these earlier recordings: stronger, more nasal. She purposely changed it to the softer, more pop-friendly version around the time of the "Every Time You Say Goodbye", I believe. But her singing is not the only treat; she had won many awards for her fiddle playing by this time, and it shines; and she is backed up by only the best musicians in bluegrass---Jerry Douglas & Sam Bush, for example.

Peppy, strong, and true to bluegrass roots.