When I've Got That Old Feeling garnered
Alison Krauss 1990's Best
bluegrass Recording Grammy, it was an acknowledgement of the talent and poise the former child prodigy had shown through her first three albums. The album's tantalizing blend of tasteful
folk and
traditional bluegrass certainly deserved the award. But Old Feeling was more important as a footbridge to where
Krauss would take her music -- and
bluegrass itself -- over the next decade. It blended
country and
bluegrass with
pop elements (the latter being most evident on "Longest Highway") in such an effortless way, the album couldn't possibly be seen as a play for the mainstream. The sentiment behind the gentle sway of "It's Over" and "Wish I Still Had You" was universal; blended into the honeyed voice of
Krauss, it was irresistible. At the same time, the playing on "Will You Be Leaving" and "Dark Skies" was not only technically skilled, but startlingly genuine. (
Sam Bush's mandolin and the dobro leads of producer
Jerry Douglas were particularly impressive.) The record was imbued with the same old feeling that
Krauss and her
Union Station guitarist
Dan Tyminski would later draw upon for O Brother, Where Art Thou? -- it was a
bluegrass album at heart, but it came from a place where emotion and honesty weren't labeled with a genre tag. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
