Review: Alison Krauss and Union Station @ Manchester Apollo
9:21am Tuesday 17th July 2012 in Leisure
By John Anson, Features editor
THE queen of Bluegrass and her powerhouse band brought a touch of Tennessee to a dreary Manchester night.
This was a show for the purists as some of the finest musicians in the country world brought all their talents to the fore.
Krauss, who won a wider fanbase with her collaboration with Robert Plant, has a voice of outstanding beauty and clarity. At times you could hear a pin drop as her laments about lost love were barely louder than a whisper yet touched the heart.
She’s also a mean fiddle player when the mood strikes leading the band in a series of rollicking instrumentals.
With a band which includes dobro player Jerry Douglas and Dan Tyminski, the voice of George Clooney in Oh Brother Wherefore Art Thou, Union Station is a stellar line-up.
Technically the show was a masterclass and spontaneous applause could often be heard from a knowledgeable audience in appreciation of some musical mastery.
But for all the professionalism and beauty, for me it was just a touch too clinical. I’d have loved the band to loosen up just a little more but I suspected understated is their way.
Certainly it was still a privilege to witness this multi-Grammy Award winning ensemble on fine form.
