Amazon.co.uk Review
The idea of twang king Alan Jackson pairing up with Alison Krauss for an album of love songs might seem heretical to some, especially if they heard only the first cut, the adult-contemporary ballad "Anywhere on Earth You Are." But producer Krauss, whom Jackson approached to make a traditional bluegrass record, always knew there was a sensuous heart beating beneath Jackson's aw-shucks demeanour, one that would fit perfectly with the intimate repertoire, genre-bending musical framework and virtuoso players she'd always chosen for herself. (Robert Lee Castleman, one of Krauss's favorite writers, weighs in with four tunes, and Ron Block, Jerry Douglas, and Dan Tyminski, Krauss's Union Station cohorts, anchor the band.) If there's a downside to this brilliant, if unlikely pairing, it's that Krauss's sombre program could benefit from something a tad more libidinous or uptempo. But what is here is so beautifully chosen and performed (with spare, affecting harmony vocals by Lee Ann Womack, Cheryl White, Sidney and Suzanne Cox and Krauss herself) that it's hard to quibble. Throughout, and especially on the ballad "Wait a Minute" and his own dusted-off "A Woman's Love" (1998), Jackson, who explores his rich, lower register more frequently than in the past, comes across like Don Williams in his prime. He's a middle-aged man taking stock of what and who matters most to him in life and speaking his heart without artifice. In the title track, a song so bone-marrow deep it might bring you to your knees, Jackson declares, "I love you like all little children love pennies." That line that may sound odd and superficial by itself, but in Jackson's nuanced reading, it takes on a nearly spiritual yearning. This album, like the gospel
Precious Memories before it, proves that while Jackson--the most nominated performer in CMA history--may be nearing 50, he's not ready to quit challenging himself as an artist.
--Alanna Nash
Description
Although LIKE RED ON A ROSE was produced by Alison Krauss, it's not the traditional bluegrass record one might expect. Instead, the producer and artist have done something far more unexpected: LIKE RED ON A ROSE is an album of cool and occasionally near-jazzy ballads that recall k.d. lang's SHADOWLAND, Ray Price's early 1970s pop singles, and Patsy Cline's more orchestral sides. Intended as a concept album about Jackson's marriage (although the only song here written by Jackson is "A Woman's Love", a re-recording of a 1998 single given a moodier, richer treatment), LIKE RED ON A ROSE is a setthat's clear-eyed about the difficulties of a long relationship, but also capable of swooningly romantic moments. The title track (and first single) is a particular gem, but the album is best listened to as a whole. Although Jackson's earlier recordings are not most folks' idea of smoochy make-out music--no matter how "country" you are--LIKE RED ON A ROSE is an appealing new side to the singer's musical personality.