It was by good fortune that I heard the pure, sweet voice of Alison Krauss when I visited an independent record store in Claudelands, Hamilton more than a decade ago.
Sadly like so many independents, that store has also closed. I digress - the song I heard was Ghost In This House and it was taken from her album recorded in 1999, Forget About It.
I purchased the album and have been a follower of multi-award Grammy winner Krauss since that day. Over the years, Krauss has recorded with her band Union City and also guested on albums by a good many artists. Many know her songs from those featured in the movie Down From The Mountain.
It has been many years since Krauss released a solo album and her latest, Windy City, features her renditions of songs by artists and songwriters ranging from Roger Miller (Windy City), Willie Nelson (I Never Cared For You) and You Don't Know Me best recorded by Ray Charles and Elvis Presley.
The focus now is on Krauss and her passionate and angelic tones. The centrepiece of this album is the song River In The Rain. Close and personal, her vocal commands wondrously. From the rhythmic and swinging It's Goodbye and So Long To You to the aching and poignant You Don't Know Me, Windy City connects like soft and lingering summer breeze.
