I would never have considered myself an Alison Krauss fan, but this track took my fancy.
Its by no means a stand out song, its put together in a pretty standard sort of way, but the musicianship is great and I really like the contrasts in the arrangement of mandolin and steel guitar. Its a demonstration of how attention to detail can make something special.
At the other end of the tempo scale is this version of Imelda May’s Inside Out. I love her stuff and my daughter put the rawer, album version of this on a loop in the car last week so I know it well. I love the way that Imelda produces lots of different versions of the same number – a real artist with a band made up of great musicians including her awesome guitarist husband Darrel Higham.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcV_jZUTtU8
These are both examples of how the genuine will stand out in a manufactured world. Just like brands. You simply can’t build a strong brand on pretence the values have to go all the way through – just like the lettering in a stick of rock or songs by real musicians.
Michael Weaver
April 5, 2011