Album Review – Alison Krauss & Union Station’s “Arcadia”
#520 (Bluegrass) and #570.6 (Bluegrass-inspired Americana) on the Country DDS.
Whatever praise and accolades are moving in the direction of Alison Krauss—or her legendary bluegrass backing band Union Station for that matter—they’re all probably warranted. She’s nothing short of a bluegrass legend and a musical marvel, whose name will eventually be enshrined in the Country Music Hall of Fame, and who already has more Grammy Awards and nominations that any other woman not named Beyoncé.
Krauss was first signed to a record label as a 14-year-old bluegrass prodigy. Now 14 years after she last recordings with Union Station, she reunites with the band led by Jerry Douglas for the spirited, precise, and intentional moments of Arcadia. They’re joined by Ron Block (banjo, guitar, vocals) and Barry Bales (bass, vocals), along with newest member Russell Moore from the bluegrass band IIIrd Tyme Out as a lead vocalist. Moore helps replace Dan Tyminski who is now focused on his solo career.
Though when you mention “bluegrass,” what most people call to mind is blistering tempos and head-spinning reels, that not exactly what the ten songs of Arcadia have in store for you. This is a somewhat slow and purposeful record, where the vocal performances are the centerpiece. And though the instrumentation is acoustic-based and bluegrass in intention, it finds moments you could characterize just as much as folk or Americana, if not adult contemporary.
The full range of Alison Krauss’s voice is explored fearlessly in tracks like “The Wrong Way” and “There’s a Light Up Ahead,” while the soulful contours of her tones infuse with the moments of one of the more traditional bluegrass tracks on the album, “Richmond On The James.” Russell Moore might be the newcomer to Union Station, but he stands out front and confidently delivers lead vocals on numerous occasions.
Don’t take the warnings about the genteel nature of this record to mean that the album doesn’t delve into the dark and dirty aspects of Southern American lore that often texture bluegrass and roots music. These moments include the ominous and foreboding song “The Hangman,” written by Alison Krauss’s brother Viktor, and sung exquisitely by Russell Moore. He also takes lead on another haunting story, “Granite Mills” about a mass casualty event at a factory.
If you’re looking for the meat and body of this record, it’s often found in the lyricism, including in the well-written song about the importance of past mistakes called “The Wrong Way,” contributed by Dan Tyminski with Robert Lee Castleman. Every square inch of this album feels purposeful and uncompromising, even if the audience is tasked with intent listening to understand the scope and breadth of the moments.
And though this album is intentionally presented as a group effort, it’s undeniable that beyond the vocal performances of Krauss and Russell Moore, it’s the tone of the Jerry Douglas dobro that comes bursting out of the mix in some of the album’s most defining moments, and colors the overall experience of Arcadia.
But even within such stark and potent expressions, this is a very stylized, if not a little sterile-sounding effort. In a moment in bluegrass where you have genre leaders like Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle turning in blistering reels and expansive improvisation, Arcadia might feel a little tired, and maybe too focused on its intentional delivery. It could benefit from a little dirt being rubbed into it, even if that isn’t exactly the approach that is signature to Alison Krauss, or her collaborations with Union Station over the years.
Arcadia might not be the best album to introduce your friends to the power of bluegrass, but it might be the ideal specimen to introduce them to the beauty of it. Bluegrass is not a skills competition, but a way for the Southern experience to emote and express itself, sometimes in ways that are breakneck and bursting with vitality, or like Alison Krauss & Co. prove here, in ways that are more refined, but still with a power of emotion behind every moment.
7.9/10
– – – – – – – – –
Stream / purchase Arcadia
March 31, 2025 @ 7:52 am
Great review. AKUS has been around for 36 years, and although they started out as a straight-forward, hard driving bluegrass band, they certainly developed into a much more precise, nuanced band. But that’s not to say that they can’t still pump out bluegrass tunes, as ‘Richmond on the James’ and ‘Snow’ attest to. But a ton of notes, and show-boating isn’t what AKUS is about anymore. Instrumentally, they serve the songs how they see fit, and if that means no banjo or fiddle on a particular tune, then so be it. The bluegrass side of me longs for their older sound at times, but they create such a unique, tight, and solid sound that no other band can replicate, so I can’t complain. Arcadia isn’t my favorite AKUS album, but it’s easily in the top 3 for me. And I’d give the album a solid 9.5 out of 10.
March 31, 2025 @ 8:01 am
I agree with the review. I have listened to this album a few times and it is a good album. I agree with the review. It is more folk or Americana than bluegrass. I expected it to be more bluegrass. The most bluegrass tracks are not sung by Krauss, who is on lead on I think 6 tracks. Russell Moore is a more than capable replacement for Tyminski. The album has great musicianship as one would expect. It is a classy and an album of some power.
March 31, 2025 @ 8:21 am
As the old cliche goes I could listen to her sing the phonebook. Band is pretty good too.
March 31, 2025 @ 9:02 am
the Tulsa telephone book?
March 31, 2025 @ 8:23 am
Agreed, it’s a little to AC for my taste, but that’s just her style and what most fans expect from her. I mean she was even able to get Alan Jackson to record more of an adult contemporary album back in 2006
March 31, 2025 @ 10:01 am
My review is a little different. Your review approaches the album with a predetermined standard: the bluegrass is better “with a little dirt rubbed into it.” My review asks, what did the musicians intend to achieve? And then asks, did they achieve it? I think AKUS wanted the music, the songs and lyrics, to be as good and faithful to the composer’s intent as possible. And, as you point out, AKUS made no compromise in their effort to achieve this goal. AKUS did not pander to audience preferences for “a little dirt.” I think the performances on this album allow the music and lyrics to speak in an astonishingly clear voice. I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to engage with these songs provided by Arcadia. AKUS fully realized their vision. 10 / 10.
March 31, 2025 @ 10:11 am
Totally agree that what they intended to do is what they accomplished with this album. I take it as my job as a reviewer to convey what people can expect, and if what people might expect is something different than what is is delivered, to temper those expectations, or in this case, to tell people what they should expect.
March 31, 2025 @ 10:26 am
I agree with your assessment. AKUS has had a polished sound since New Favorite, arguably even since So Long, So Wrong, so it’s not reasonable to expect them to have a rugged, or raw sound at this point. The album is quite frankly a masterpiece, and I only wish it had at least one or two more fiddle breaks. But that’s just because I’m a huge fan of Alison’s fiddle playing. Subjectivity aside, there’s no denying that Arcadia is an absolutely magnificent album inside and out.
March 31, 2025 @ 10:18 am
My favorite Allison Krauss record is still “Windy City.” I know it wasn’t with Union Station, but everything about it is perfect.
March 31, 2025 @ 11:23 am
The best of her studio records, I think, but “Live” is just a masterpiece of musicians plying their craft at the highest level, while still serving the song sung by one of the best singers America has ever produced.. I might have listened to that record more than any other in the course of my life.
March 31, 2025 @ 10:42 am
I’m looking forward to the music world at large to be exposed to the excellence of Russell Moore, who has been one of the top vocalists in the world of bluegrass music for the past 40 years.
March 31, 2025 @ 2:45 pm
AKUS puts out great music. Full stop. Not relying on flashy production. No TikTok dances. No images of burning buildings in the background. No appearances on SNL No edgy incidents of throwing furniture of a balcony. And when asked at the Grammys next year she will say its Bluegrass music. Great bunch of musicians.
March 31, 2025 @ 6:47 pm
I’ve been listening to AK since she was a kid in the 80’s. We had a bootleg tape of her playing when she was in high school that somehow got delivered to my college roots music club/festival. I’ve heard her at a bunch of bluegrass festivals with the old gang when she was young and full of fire, and this iteration of AKUS. . it’s good, but not as good as her famous live album or when Adam Steffey was in the band.
I guess it’s like our conversation around the new Charley Crockett album- it’s not his best, nor hers, but B+ album from CC or AKUS is 100 times better than most of what’s out there.
Having said all that, let’s be glad her voice is back. She took a long time off because of vocal problems, if I remember correctly, so good on her, hope it lasts through the long tour (which will pass within 90 minutes of me so who knows maybe I’ll go see her again.)
BUT, here’s my opinion: Russell Moore sounds great on the album, but if you close your eyes and squint, it’s almost too close to Dan Tyminski. This is the Steeldriver’s problem: they keep hiring singers who sound just like their previous singers (or at least in that ballpark) and it keeps them from exploring new territory.
I think they would have benefited from a new singer with a really different timbre if they were going to make a fresh start.
Is it my favorite bluegrass album of the year? No, but it’s a very good bluegrass-inflected Americana album.
April 1, 2025 @ 4:18 am
Hello from Denmark. I love this record. Beautiful played music. It’s better than their last album Paper Airplane.
And its nice to see that sound engineer Gary paczosa worked on this record
April 1, 2025 @ 4:44 am
While I also don’t think this is AKUS’ best album, it’s definitely one of their best, IMO. I believe Arcadia was already recorded when Dan departed from the band, so Russell just replaced Dan’s vocals; Hence, Dan’s presence is still felt, instrumentally speaking. I can also hear the similarities between Russell and Dan, but as a die-hard AKUS fan, I truly believe Russell’s voice blends better with Alison’s. I realize it’s subjective, but I feel like this Arcadia is new territory for AKUS in some ways. North Side Gal doesn’t sound quite like any other song they’ve ever recorded, and this is very much a concept album. Frankly, I’m just pleased to get a new album from AKUS at all. You mentioned AKUS’ sound and energy in their younger years, and I think it’s important to remember that all of the band members of AKUS have been playing music for a living since they were teenagers, and they’re not spring chickens anymore. In my personal experience as a musician, time and age have all changed my playing style as well. I don’t play fiddle tunes as fast as I did when I was younger, and I view music differently as a whole. AKUS has settled into ‘their’ sound over the years, and it suits them extraordinarily well.
April 1, 2025 @ 1:37 pm
Here’s a view from the trenches in the trad- grass world. Alison was good in the early years but ultimately got commercial, and drifted away from real grass. Thats a general vibe you pick up from the folks in that realm. Thats the ” talk on the street” about her from bluegrass people.
My take: By her own admission, she’s a sucker for the morose weepy ballads, but she’s really good at them. Her voice is so unique and angelic, you won’t find another like it in a million gals. Her band Union Station is laser focused on quality. Yes, they can be guns when they wish to be, but they prefer to play in service to the songs themselves, giving each one just what it needs. They have always counter- balanced the ship when Alison leaned too much into the sad, they bring the audience back with some charging instrumentals and ripping banjo lead songs. Douglas is the GOAT on dobro, with apologies to bashful Oswald.
Tyminski was like rudder steering that band, but Russell Moore is already doing a fine job. Looking forward to sinking my teeth into this release. It sounds promising. Alison is a LEGEND.
April 2, 2025 @ 1:21 pm
North Side Gal is a cover of a VERY rockabilly JD McPherson, so that’s why it feels different than the rest of the album.
April 2, 2025 @ 1:22 pm
JD McPherson song.
April 2, 2025 @ 5:32 pm
I am currently listening to this new AK&US LP, yes, I love LP versions and this album so far. Russell Moore is one of the best singers out there. Yes, I will miss Dan’s vocals with Alison, but Russell Moore has been singing his style since the early days of Southern Connection, band based out of Texas, and those boys moved to NC and eventually became Doyle Lawson’s Band Quicksilver. Quicksilver was already established w/ Terry Baucom, Jimmy Haley and Lou Reid, and then w/ Randy Graham. Everyone changed around, but Russell Moore stood on his own and was even one of the best even then. I have had the opportunity to see Dan Tyminski’s new band a few times live and they blew me away. I will have to say as I type this, and still listening to LP, I am hooked. Hey, it is not straight bluegrass, but who cares, all the songs are top notch on another level. Instrumentation and the tonal quality with Russell singing solo or Alison solo work is A++++++. I do wish it had more of Ron Block’s distinctive banjo displayed and Alison’s superb fiddle playing. I will enjoy this album to the full extint, since it has been a long time. I hope to catch them either at Earl Scruggs Festival or maybe in Chattanooga. Peace out!
April 3, 2025 @ 8:24 pm
I read this review this week then I heard her sing Richmond on the James at least 3 times on SXM Outlaw this week. Very timely.
April 7, 2025 @ 10:16 am
Not bluegrass enough? Needs a little dirt rubbed in it? C’mon, people. This is a masterful record led by a masterful artist. If some (if not all) of these songs don’t raise the hairs on the back of your neck, I suggest you check your pulse.