~~~ Just A Country Boy ~~~ I have long prided myself on what I consider to be a wide and varied taste in music. Eclectic I think is the only word anyone could use to explain what I listen to. Those people who kind of know will probably quickly label me as a rock and metal fan; those who really know me will be able to tell you that as well as Metallica, Megadeth, System Of A Down, In Flames and a whole host of other ‘rock/metal’ bands, my music collection also features many other genres. I could bore you for hours with the various genres and sub-genres that make up my collection, but I think it’s sufficient to say that about the only style I’ve never managed to get into is “dance-music”, (although there have been the occasional exception). The one genre that almost always raises an eyebrow from anyone who thinks they know my taste in music is Country. Actually, behind rock, country and bluesgrass music is probably my favourite style and forms a significant proportion of my music collection. Artists such as Randy Travis, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Nickelcreek and a host of others feature regularly on my Zen MP3 player. Another artist that I have enjoyed for a few years now is Alison Krauss.
I forget exactly how I stumbled across it, but the first Alison Krauss song I heard was a cover of ‘You’re The Lucky One’. Whilst I enjoyed her singing and arrangement of the song, there was nothing about it that really struck me a particularly special and so I happily listened to that one song, with a couple of others, thinking nothing of it. A couple of years or so after hearing that track I came across a duet she did with Brad Paisley, (I was actually looking for Paisley stuff at the time) entitled ‘Whiskey Lullaby’. Something about that song captivated me - so much so that I decided to try and find the album it appeared on, which is how I came to purchase ‘A Hundred Miles Or More’.
Before I continue, I’d just like to say that whilst I have heard some of Alison’s other material, this is the first actual album of hers I’ve owned and so I can’t really comment with regard to how it compares to her others. Instead, I’ll try and rate ‘…Miles Or More’ based on it’s own merits.
~~~ A Hundred Miles Or More ~~~ To give it it’s full title, ‘A Hundred Miles Or More: A Collection’ was released in 2007, so at the time of writing is Alison’s latest release. It’s not a new album in the typical sense of the word since most of the tracks have previously featured in films, guest spots and the occasional tribute. That said, there are five “previously unreleased” tracks that make up the album. It features several duets with the likes of James Taylor, Brad Paisley and John Waite, (names that either will or will not mean something to you). For me, these three artists are relatively familiar and so their appearance on the album was something of a bonus.
Now’s probably a good time to point out that this is classed as a ‘bluesgrass’ album, not country. Again, I won’t bore you with the subtleties of how blussgrass differs from country, but anyone who doesn’t listen to the country music will class ‘..Miles Or More’ predominately as a country album. That said, even if you’re not a country fan, I wouldn’t let that necessarily put you off the album, since it has some interesting and listenable songs. When most people hear the words ‘Country Music’, I guess they most likely think of banjos, fiddles and line-dancing. Let me just say that this isn’t that kind of country music and I think anyone who enjoys a good tune should be able to find something that appeals to them on this album.
Many of the tracks are slow-paced and perhaps even melancholic, (‘Sawing On The Strings’ being the only exception), although that’s not to say it’s overly depressing as an album. As mentioned, many of the songs were recorded for completely unrelated projects, with all the songs are written by others and I think this perhaps helps explain why there are so many slow-paced songs. I suspect Alison has been called upon to provide a more sombre or sedate moment within that particular project – and justifiably so too, since her voice and singing style is well suited to that particular task. This does lead to a slight imbalance and I suspect a lot of people may find the sheer number of ballad-type songs on the album a little over-whelming, (more on this in a moment).
The production of the songs is surprisingly consistent with all the instruments well balanced and easy to hear in the mix, but always with Alison’s voice at the forefront of the song.
The booklet that accompanies the album is interesting, featuring some pictures of Alison and other players, as well as a track list that details who play want on which song – something any music buff will relish. Also, there is a biography covering two pages written by Jim Bessman, which I think most will find insightful to read at least once.
~~~ BlueMidget’s Thoughts ~~~ If I’m honest, ‘…Miles Or More’ wasn’t an album that instantly enchanted me. Whilst I wouldn’t go as far as to say I was disappointed with it, it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for and I was very close to writing it off as something of a poor purchase when I first listened to it. It was only whilst I was sat at my computer listening to my music collection and a couple of tracks came up in quick succession, (I tend to listen to my music in random order) that I really found myself taken with the album and promptly went back and listened to album as a whole and actually found that it was much better than I’d initially thought. I think the best way I can describe it is that this is an album that grows on you after a couple of listens, rather than something that stuns and intrigues you straight off. Second or third time around, the subtleties of the songs begin to come to the surface and eventually I found myself liking the album more and more.
Picking up my earlier point about slow tempo’s, I think this is probably the main reason ‘…Miles Or More’ wasn’t something I took to straight away. Still being honest, it struck me that this is probably an album that will appeal to women quicker than it will to men. That said, Alison’s voice is quite charming and I enjoyed the quality of her voice and tone, as well as the way in which she chose to sing certain songs and I think anyone who enjoys a talented artist, regardless of their genre of music, will find Alison’s singing more than pleasant to listen to. What I would say is that individually, all the songs are entertaining and worth listening to, but as a single entity I’m not sure whether or not the album works on the whole. When songs are played individually they’re all enjoyable to hear, but when played one after the other that lack of faster-tempo songs I could see becoming a little ‘samey’ for some.
That said, whilst there were a couple of songs that didn’t really hold my attention as much as others, (but this is very much down to personal preference) there isn’t a song that I would say I actually disliked, though there were a couple that I probably don’t listen to as much as others.
One of my favourite tracks is the one I’ve already mentioned, the Brad Paisley duet ‘Whiskey Lullaby’, mostly because of the subject matter, (# “We watched him drink his pain away a little at a time/But he never could get drunk enough to get her off his mind/Until the night he put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger”), but also because the singing, instruments and overall feel of the song is very interesting to listen to. Another of my favourites is another duet, this time with James Taylor, ‘How’s The World Treating You?’ Again, the subject matter is quite touching and something I think most people could relate to (# “I’ve had nothing but sorrow, since you said we were through/there’s no hope for tomorrow/how’s the world treating you?”). What I particularly enjoyed about this track is it’s simplicity and openness of the song really draws you into the song’s theme.
‘Molly Ban (Bawn)’ is an interesting listen, since it struck me as extremely Celtic. Equally, ‘Down By The River To Pray’ is remarkably different to the other’s since it’s accepella, (i.e. all vocal, no instruments). Whilst the lack of tempo is something you could criticise the album about, the variety of styles and feels to songs is not something you could make the same judgement on. There’s enough different approaches to the songs to keep it mostly entertaining and, for me at least, is what rescued the album from simply being ‘pleasant’ to actually being something I found ‘enjoyable’ to listen to, (even taking into account the comments I’ve made).
~~~ Conclusion ~~~ Firstly, let me just say that I think this album is too good to be classed as simply average (three-stars), but has a few too many issues to be fairly classed as a “great” (four-stars) album. Since I’m not given the luxury of half-stars for my rating, I think on the whole ‘…Miles Or More’ leans more towards four-stars than three, but please bear in mind that it’s true rating is really three-and-a-half.
I think if you own an MP3 player, the album has great longevity as the songs themselves all hold some interest and played in this manner it’s great value for money. Played by itself, it does run the risk of becoming a little repetitive for some people – not necessarily boring, but definitely borderline samey.
‘A Hundred Miles Or More: A Collection’ is perhaps not the best introduction to Alison Krauss. That said, I think there’s plenty songs on the album that most people would be able to enjoy, (assuming you’re not devoted to one particular genre of music). Don’t be put off by Alison being a country/bluesgrass artist, since it is nothing more than a label that doesn’t really do justice to the actual quality of the music. If you enjoy good music, charming vocals and gifted instrument playing, then ‘…Miles Or More’ has a lot to offer. I can understand how the music might not appeal to everyone, especially given it’s country tag, but, (and please allow me to stand on my soapbox for a moment) to pooh-pooh outright because it’s not your normal style of music only serves to limit your own horizons and I think you many (though not all, I will admit) might be surprised if you gave it a chance. Lecture over and coming down from my proverbial soapbox, ‘A Hundred Miles Or More’ is something that I would tentatively recommend. If nothing else, it’s worth trying to find a friend who has a copy that you could listen to before deciding whether or not to buy for yourself.
~~~ Track List ~~~ 1. You’re Just A Country Boy* 2. Simple Love* 3. Jacob’s Dream* 4. Away Down The River* 5. Sawing On The Strings 6. Down To The River To Pray 7. Baby Mine 8. Molly Bàn (Bawn) 9. How’s The World Treating You …duet with James Taylor 10. The Scarlet Tide 11. Whilsy Lullaby …duet with Brad Paisley 12. You Will Be My Ain True Love 13. I Give You To His Heart 14. Get Me Through December 15. Missing You …duet with John Waite 16. Lay Down Beside Me* …duet with John Waite
* - Previously unreleased
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it is--cuts from soundtracks, side projects, and tribute albums, plus guest duets on other artists' albums and five previously unreleased tracks. In other words, t...
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