I can imagine a fairy-tale adaptation of Snow White set in the Kingdom of Country. In it the queen of country and bluegrass, Alison Krauss, asks: “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who has the fairest voice of all?” The answer may well be: “It is you, Alison Krauss.”
And similarly, if you ask the mirror in Drumland who the greatest living session drummer of all is, a possible answer could well be “Jim Keltner”. Krauss and Keltner have something in common. Their nuance is such that they create an atmosphere almost before you hear them. Somehow they have already arrived by the time they properly reach your ears.
Krauss is a beautiful singer, a skilled fiddle player and songwriter. Despite her suffering from dysphonia, a condition that causes vocal cord spasms and requires periods of rest and long absences from live performance, Krauss manages to maintain the integrity of her voice, her extraordinary pitch and her delivery, both delicate and with controlled power. She has collaborated with other singers too, among them, Dan Tyminski in Union Station, Robert Plant – who credits her with teaching him to sing – James Taylor, Dolly Parton and Gillian Welch.
On Forget About It, Krauss’ third solo album, using members of her Union Station band sparingly, she enlisted the services of Jim Keltner for the drum stool for most tracks, probably because his touch is subtle, his sound clean and his sense of time, perfect.
Why you definitely won’t forget about it
Today’s Friday Song is the album’s title track. It starts with what sounds like a string instrument tune up, before the acoustic guitars and mere suggestion of drums emerge underneath the vocal melody. Krauss is genteel and of course gorgeous, while Keltner seems to pad his way around his kit, with a light thud on the kick and little moments, saving here and spending there, as he works perfection in his percussive economy.
Touches of Sam Bush’s mandolin and Krauss’s fiddle add accents and dobro maestro, Jerry Douglas flits between a short solo and colour fills with his trademark sound. Such a gorgeous song. Good weekend all!
Listen to Forget About It on Spotify here.
And on Apple Music here.
I started a music WhatsApp group in 2023. I send one song a week on a Friday, with links to both Apple and Spotify, and an accompanying narrative/capsule piece. If you want to engage about a song, get a playlist or just get in touch, email me on markgrosin@gmail.com.