I think this recording is just about as perfect as anything since Abbey Road. Each song is a little gem. I really prefer Alison's voice as it sounds in these earlier recordings: stronger, more nasal. She purposely changed it to the softer, more pop-friendly version around the time of the "Every Time You Say Goodbye", I believe. But her singing is not the only treat; she had won many awards for her fiddle playing by this time, and it shines; and she is backed up by only the best musicians in bluegrass---Jerry Douglas & Sam Bush, for example.

Peppy, strong, and true to bluegrass roots.


Her First and Still Her Best   July 27, 2000
James Skrydlak (Mountain View, CA)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

This CD showcases Alison Krauss's amazing voice in songs that show it to its best advantage. The producers of her more recent CDs have chosen songs and arrangements that lack energy and cause her singing to be breathy. In 1987, these folks hadn't gotten their hands on her, and she's in full voice on the slower songs as well as the faster ones.

Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, and Tony Trischka are the "name" musicians accompanying her; the lesser-known musicians play just as well, though, and Alison's fiddling is impeccable.

This CD has it all - good songs (good in their own right and good choices for Alison to sing), good picking, and good singing.


Alison Krauss' Strong Debut   June 25, 2004
Mark J. Fowler (Okinawa, Japan)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

In 1987 Alison was only 15, and some of the songs on this CD are kind of "honky-tonky". In "Song For Life" the lyric begins "I don't drink as much as I used to...." and it's a little incongruous putting the words together with the 15 year-old voice. Her vocal tone was a little twangy and nasal-sounding, almost strident as she belted out some of these tunes, and I wonder if she was influenced maybe a little by some of the Nashville Big-Hair bunch like Reba.

Still.... if she had not appeared until today and suddenly this recording appeared, it would be at least as head-turning today as it was 15 years ago. No other vocalist in the genre approaches this kind of material with this kind of instrumentation with THAT kind of voice. Alison surrounded herself by superstars like Sam Bush and Jerry Douglas, so the supporting cast was top-notch.

In her first recording she was both astonishingly new and talented, but also showed great promise of things to come. In the recordings that followed she has unfailingly measured up to that promise. Even in her first record she began showing her taste for sorrowful mournful tunes of doomed love, even on uptempto tunes like "Don't Follow Me" and the title "Too Late to Cry". She also began demonstrating her talent for beautiful slow ballads like "Gentle River".

Required stuff for those who want the complete Alison Krauss collection, but I knock it down to 4 stars because the maturity of her voice and mastery of material would show up in full on later recordings.


Amazing   June 23, 2000
Peter Whitney (VT)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

This record is one of my two top bluegrass records, (the other one is Emmylou Harris & the Nash Ramblers) I didn't know that she was 15 at the time and that does add to the experience for me of listening to a truly remarkable voice. Hardcore Bluegrass fans may not like it as much as a casual listener, but this record is as good as it gets. Ms. Krauss has almost knocked Bonnie Raitt off the top of my list of female vocalists. The fact that she could get Sam Bush & Jerry Douglass to play w/ her speaks not only to her vocal ability, but her great fiddle palying as well. Buy this record!


Debut album set the standard for those that followed   April 9, 2004
Peter Durward Harris (Leicester England)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Alison was just fifteen when she made her recording debut with this album but, even at that age, she was ready for it. She is both only a talented musician and a wonderful singer with a great voice, which has echoes of Dolly, Reba and Emmylou while not being too much like any of them. Her music has changed significantly through the years so fans of her more recent albums may not like her early work. My eclectic taste in music allows me to enjoy all her music though I generally prefer the early stuff.

The songs are mostly obscure, the most widely known being Song for life, which is a classic from the pen of Rodney Crowell. Alison plays the fiddle on all tracks where one is used, but there are two instrumentals, both covers (Tony Trischka's Forgotten pictures and the traditional Dusty Miller) that demonstrate Alison's skills as a fiddler very clearly. The remaining songs are only originals, mostly from the pen of John Pennell.

This may not be the best album that Alison ever recorded - though some think it is and I can understand why - but it is certainly among the best. It's not difficult to figure out why Alison has been so successful. If you are unfamiliar with Alison's early music, you should first try Now that I've found you - A collection. If you enjoy that, particularly the track Sleep on (taken from this album), give this a listen.