Paper Airplane Rounder***

Alison Krauss's parsimonious approach to new recordings – this is her first album since 2007's Raising Sandwith Robert Plant, and her first with Union Station since 2004 – means there is always a welcome mat for her pristine voice and newgrass songs. The picking here is immaculate – with Jerry Douglas (dobro), Ron Block (banjo) and Dan Tyminski (guitar and mandolin) at play that is hardly surprising. In fact there areno surprises. The Alison Krauss of Raising Sandis nowhere to be heard; the music has a seamless sheen to it – beautifully dull, to coin an oxymoron – as on the opening title track and the closing Opening Farewell. Tyminski's gruff vocals try to spice things up on Dustbowl Children, but Krauss's chilled perfection rules the day, with the intimate Lie Awakeand a solid reading of Richard Thompson's Dimming of the Dayamong the highlights. See alisonkrauss.com

Download tracks: Lie Awake, Dimming of the Day