LIKE RED ON A ROSE - ALAN JACKSON
After taking a gospel diversion on last year’s “Precious Memories,” we might expect Alan Jackson’s next effort to return to mainstream country. Instead the veteran hat act recruited Alison Krauss to produce what was supposed to be a bluegrass outing but morphed into a Don Williams-style set of gentle melodies that’s one of the best things Jackson has ever recorded. The songs, mostly about love and the benefits of aging, are fine fits for his smooth tenor; Krauss deploys a top-shelf group of players with a subtle touch that never overwhelms Jackson’s vocals but keeps the songs moving in their own quiet way. “Sometimes less is more,” as Jackson sings on “The Fire Fly’s Song,” and on “Like Red on a Rose” he has definitely found a path that merits more attention. Billboard
