Top Ten Female Vocalists – #9 – Alison Krauss
Most of the women on this list have a voice with some sort of edge or grit, but there are a couple of exceptions and Alison Krauss is the furthest in the other direction.
Krauss’ voice is so smooth and pure, it makes me think of a cool lake so still it looks like a mirror, or a crystal goblet you flick with a fingernail and hear echoing through a big empty house for five minutes. It’s an unreal sort of beauty, a thing that feels almost too perfect to be human.
It’s entirely appropriate that Krauss voiced one of the sirens in the Coen Brothers’ O Brother Where Art Thou?, along with Gillian Welch and Emmylou Harris.
I don’t know much about Krauss’ music. She has released 11 albums, two of which I own: 2001’s New Favorite, recorded with the band Union Station, and 2007’s Grammy-winning Raising Sand, recorded with Robert Plant. The former is a solid collection of bluegrass tunes on which Krauss takes the lead on half and Dan Tyminski handles the rest (he’s the voice behind George Clooney in O Brother‘s ‘Man of Constant Sorrow‘).
Raising Sand never really grabbed me, despite lovely work by both Krauss and Plant. It’s interesting that Krauss has played a major role in two unconventional Best Album Grammy winners — this one and the O Brother soundtrack.
Krauss also performs a haunting duet with Brad Paisley on a track called ‘Whiskey Lullaby’ from his Mud On the Tires album. So I’ve had just enough exposure to her to warrant her inclusion on this list.
Here’s a very pretty track from New Favorite.
Free as the wind blowin’ down the road
Loved by many, hated by none
I’d say you were lucky cause I know what you’ve done
Not a care in the world not a worry in sight
Everything’s going to be all right
Cause you’re the lucky one
You’re the lucky one always havin’ fun
A jack of all trades, a master of none
You look at the world with a smiling eye
And laugh at the devil as his train rolls by
Just give you a song and a one-night stand
And you’ll be looking at a happy man
Cause you’re the lucky one
Were you blessed? I guess
By never knowin’ which road you’re choosing
To you the next best thing to playin’ and winning
Is playin’ and losin’
You’re the lucky one I know that now
Don’t ask you why when where or how
You look at the world through your smilin’ eye
And laugh at the devil as his train rolls by
Just give you a song and a one-night stand
And you’ll be looking at a happy man
Cause you’re the lucky one
You’re the lucky one I know that now
Don’t ask you why when where or how
No matter where you’re at is where you’ll be
You can bet your luck won’t follow me
Just give you a song and a one-night stand
And you’ll be looking at a happy man
Cause you’re the lucky one.
Meet Me In Montauk 
I, too, know little about Krauss, as I only own the “O Brother” soundtrack, but I agree that her voice is just lovely.
And I also – and I know this is just ridiculous – adore her name. Not sure why, but there is something about her name that I find incredibly peaceful and artistic and inviting – almost like it’s a brand. Silly, I know, but what can I say 😉
very nice voice. That’s all I got.
But what do you think of her name? 🙂
She has a lovely voice and a very nice name. Just love your description of the lake and goblet–she should be so flattered.
not a big fan of German names–sorry.