THIS was a very special concert. Alison Krauss and Union Station are one of country music's brightest jewels and on Saturday night they proved why. This was acoustic playing of the highest order, delicate, dazzling, measured and assured. And the singing was a revelation, particularly for someone like this writer hearing the band live for the first time.
Bluegrass is strangely one of the Nashville's less celebrated subsets. Perhaps it is its overlap with folk and traditional music, its frequently religious associations or its shunning of the more tacky commercial trappings of country music, but though often cited it rarely figures to any great degree in leading country catalogues. Now, with America's adoption of Americana music blues, folk and other renegade styles - bluegrass's time has come, again.
However, though Krauss and her esteemed band are clearly steeped in the bluegrass tradition which owes much to Scots and Irish music - they also stretch the limits with tasteful new material and clever covers. Krauss, a child fiddle prodigy who has matured into a remarkable player and singer, is the main vocalist, but mention must be made of guitarist Dan Tymlnski's distinctive vocals, while the harmonies of the hand generally are a sound to behold. The playing was all that was expected of it and more, with special mention for Ron Block's five string banjo work, Adam Steffey's mandolin and, inevitably, Krauss's silken fiddle. Add Barry Bales's solid double bass and you have a band of wonderful dexterity and warmth, even in the challenging surrounds of the Stadium.
The music was mainly taken from their recent album, So Long So Wrong, and their 1995 compilation, Now That I've Found You. It ranged from covers like the Michael McDonald ballad, I Can Let Go Now to intricate dance tunes then back to their stunning version of Lowell George's Oh Allanta via a collection of songs, old and new. It might seem churlish, given the undeniably fine performance, but more of the spirited traditional music and less of the blandish modern ballads would be my preferred menu for the future.
