In 1997, Alison Krauss & Union Station, a young, attractive bluegrass crew with traditional chops but modern spirit, released an album called So Long So Wrong. The art for that record was a subtle spoof of AC/DC's iconic Highway to Hell record; in the liner notes, the hard-rock crew was paid tribute to yet again, with Krauss even flashing some devil horns.
It might have looked like a lark, but for Krauss, a prodigious fiddler and singer since the age of 10 — and now the most awarded female artist in Grammy history at age 40 — it was much-needed rebellion. Although the Decatur, Ill., native's Opry skills are practically peerless and her crystalline soprano is as close to perfect as it gets, she is also a bit of a rule-breaker, a response no doubt to being so goody-goody for so long.
So when Krauss and her phenomenal band play a sold-out Ruth Eckerd Hall on Sunday, look out for her to cut loose with some decidedly non-Opry faves.
Sean Daly, Times pop music critic
{ FIVE COOL COVER SONGS BY ALISON KRAUSS }
1
It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference: Todd Rundgren's '70s classic gets a lush, lonely redo from the female perspective on Krauss' decidedly vintage Forget About It album.
2
Killing the Blues: Her career masterwork is her 2007 pairing with Led Zep's Robert Plant: the May-December duet of Raising Sand and this bittersweet track written by Rowland Salley, a.k.a. Chris Isaak's bassist.
3
Missing You: Alison must have a thing for older British dudes, as this duet reimagining of John Waite's '80s ballad is an emotional powerhouse too hot to be faked. No surprise, work eventually led to a lil' real romance.
4
Baby Mine: Remember that scene in Dumbo when the floppy-eared lil' guy goes to visit his incarcerated mom? And she rocks him, and they both cry, and this song plays? Um yeah, Krauss makes it even sadder. Brutal.
5
Baby, Now That I've Found You: Krauss puts the brakes on the Foundations' 1967 chuggy hit, slowing things down to sweet, sexy, blissful pillow talk.
Sean Daly can be reached at sdaly@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8467. His Pop Life blog is at tampabay.com/blogs/poplife.
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