Krauss is apparently not one for taking time off. While Union Station took a hiatus after the 18-month tour to support the 2004 Alison Krauss and Union Station release Lonely Runs Both Ways, Krauss took full advantage of the down time to explore new musical horizons. Krauss reached that extraordinary 20 Grammy milestone when Lonely Runs Both Ways was named 2005's Best Country Album. It wasn't the only award she and her band-mates took home from the 48th Annual Grammys; "Unionhouse Branch" garnered Best Country Instrumental Performance and "Restless" received the Best Country Performance by a Duo/Group Award. She also received several Country Music Association Awards, including Musical Event of the Year for "Whiskey Lullaby" with Brad Paisley, originally released on Paisley's Mud on the Tires and reprised on A Hundred Miles or More.

She produced Alan Jackson's 2006 release, Like Red on a Rose, which the Chicago Sun-Times declared "a masterpiece," taking the best-selling artist out of his familiar surroundings to create a moody, intimate song cycle that has been favorably compared to Frank Sinatra's In the Wee Small Hours.

She also produced and recorded five new tracks with long time engineer Gary Paczosa to complete her twelfth release, A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection, gathering on one elegantly understated disc previously released collaborations with such artists and friends as Brad Paisley, John Waite, James Taylor, Natalie MacMaster, and The Chieftains, along with songs she cut for the films Cold Mountain, O Brother, Where Art Thou? and an “inspired by” album for the animated The Prince Of Egypt. She also recorded and produced five new tracks, including a soulful slow-dance tempo of Don Williams’ “Lay Down Beside Me” with Rounder Records label-mate Waite, to create something far more than just a compilation.

With the new tracks (among them the current country single "Simple Love") she created something far more than just a compilation. Across 16 songs, A Hundred Miles or More gracefully balances the new with the familiar to form a vivid portrait of this adventurous artist. In the same "year off, she began the then-undefined project with Plant and Burnett, recording initially in Nashville, then moving to Los Angeles to complete the project.

Krauss' latest musical collaboration, Raising Sand, is an astonishing album recorded in tandem with rock vocalist and songwriter Plant. Scheduled for release on Rounder on October 23, 2007, ' Raising Sand is their first recorded endeavor, and will prove revelatory to fans and the media on two counts: first that it happened at all, and, more importantly, that it is as successful and illuminating as it is.

Under the careful sonic stewardship of producer T Bone Burnett, rising Sand's pitched three steps beyond some cosmic collision of early urban blues, spacious West Texas country, and the unrealized potential of the folk-rock revolution. Shockingly evocative, it is an album that uncovers popular music's elemental roots while sounding effortlessly, breath-takingly modern. Despite hailing from distinctly different backgrounds. Plant and Krauss share a maverick spirit and willingness to extend the boundaries of their respective genres.

Raising Sand finds Plant and Krauss functioning as sympathetic equals: creating a powerful new sound from both their common musical ground and their unrivaled sense of empathy.

While finishing touches were being done on Raising Sand, Krauss and her equally celebrated band Union Station were busy fulfilling one of their long-time dreams@a special tour with their friend, mentor and inspiration Tony Rice, performing material from his storied career. Alison and Union Station moved directly from the dates with Tony Rice to a national summer tour in support of A Hundred Miles or More. Billed as "An Evening with Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas," it showcases material from the new disc, along with fan favorites.

"I never had any big dreams about doing something on a huge scale," Krauss reflects. "But I have dreamt about liking my records. That's the kind of stuff I dreamt about." She may have dreamt small, but as an artist, she's succeeded very, very big. In her case, modesty has proven to be the best policy.Now, me only question is where her next musical journey might take us.
 

Official Web Site: http://www.alisonkrauss.com