Album Review

Alison Krauss - Forget About It
Rounder Records

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On her eighth album, Alison Krauss has let her sound develop a little bit more. You'll notice a few more instruments supporting her high, soft vocals. She also has selected a wider variety of material than on previous efforts and the result is Krauss's best album yet.

The first four tracks on this album are some of the best country music to come out in quite awhile. "Stay" and the current single "Forget About It" are two of the best songs that Krauss has ever recorded. Krauss seems to love ballads and this album is no different. "It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference" and "Maybe" are two of the albums best. "Never Got Off The Ground" is another cut worth mentioning. The unique sounding "It Don't Matter Now" is worth more than a few listens.

The rest of the album is solid. But what else is new. Krauss is constantly turning out high quality material. The problem is that she also tends to stick to her trademark slower tunes and they tend to sound repetitive by the end of an album. The best thing Alison could do is throw a few more uplifting tracks on an album and it would balance things out.

Even without the balance this album is a great dose of country music. It's nice to know there are people out there who will defy the industries standards for "acceptable" country music and play something real. Forget About It is a great release for those of you searching for a dose of more traditionally flavored country music.

Album Review by Jeff Krasky

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The WOC Rating Scale

The album stands above the rest. This is a record that every country music fan needs to have in their collection. This album is better than the average release. A strong record with some flaws that keep it from reaching that 5 star level. This album is an average country release. Doesn't posses qualities that make it stand out among all the other albums out there. A weak record that lacks solid songs or good vocal performances. Sample before you buy. This record is a bargin-bin reject that just isn't worth the time or the money. Completely misses the mark.