ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, December 16, 1995 TAG: 9512180046
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: C7 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: CONCERT REVIEW
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
It seems that Alison Krauss comes through this corner of Virginia about as regularly as a coal train from Grundy. But never has she come with such fanfare.
Following her recent chart-topping success on country radio with ``When You Say Nothing At All,'' and with the four trophies she took home from the Country Music Association in October, Krauss seems to have become country music's newest darling.
So, when Krauss and her band, Union Station, played the Salem Civic Center on Thursday night, the question was what has all the fuss been about? In these appreciative parts, folks have recognized her talent for years, a point that the 24-year-old Krauss gratefully acknowledged - and not with token show business sincerity, either. She spoke from the heart.
``The last time we played here was the best show we've ever done,'' she said.
What's remarkable about Krauss has been her crossover success from bluegrass to country, a jump she made without intentionally crossing over. All along, she has remained loyal to her roots.
Thursday night, she proved again why music fans outside of bluegrass have come around to her crystal-clear acoustic sound. She didn't need drums or wailing electric guitars or tight blue jeans. She proved herself with one of the sweetest singing voices in any kind of music, backed by her own understated fiddle playing and an almost flawless band.
A special nod goes here to her guitarist, Dan Tyminski, who lives in Ferrum and was formerly a member of the Ferrum-based bluegrass group the Lonesome River Band. Tyminski's harmony singing perfectly complemented Krauss, and his occasional lead vocal work shined almost as brightly.
Krauss was generous in sharing the spotlight with Tyminski and the rest of her band - Adam Steffey on mandolin, Ron Block on banjo and Barry Bales on bass. On stage, they played elbow-to-elbow. It wasn't Krauss out front with the others playing a secondary role.
The concert highlight was probably the one-two punch of ``When You Say Nothing At All'' and ``Oh Atlanta,'' an old Bad Company song, but really, there wasn't a weak song in her 90-minute show.
Appropriately, the audience of 3,460 responded wildly, with shouts of ``I love you, Alison!''
Come again soon.
Veteran singer-songwriter Michael Johnson opened Thursday's show with a solo acoustic act. And even though his vocals were turned up an annoying notch too loud, he was otherwise an effective warm-up.
He had personality and an easy way of delivering a song. His best-known song was ``Bluer Than Blue,'' a moderate hit for him in 1978, but it was a pair of newer songs that worked best during his 40-minute set.
One was ``Jacques Cousteau,'' with lines like ``How low can you go? Scuba-dooba-do-wah.''
The other was a rousing ``Old Fashioned Love,'' on which Johnson was joined by Krauss and her band.
LENGTH: Medium: 60 linesby CNB