Alison Krauss & Union Station Release First Album In 14 Years

03-28-2025

(GIP) Fourteen years since their last studio album together, Alison Krauss & Union Station make a powerful return with the release of Arcadia, out today via Down The Road Records. While the time between albums may seem vast, Krauss has never left the spotlight-her critically acclaimed collaborations with Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant only further cemented her place as one of America's most versatile and enduring artists.

With Arcadia, her tenth studio album since her debut at age sixteen, Krauss returns to the roots music that defined her as a genre leader. The project began with the haunting "Looks Like the End of the Road," written by Jeremy Lister. Selected as the album's opening track, it showcases the ethereal clarity of Krauss's voice, accompanied by spare instrumentation featuring dobro and mandolin and understated harmonies that build to a moving final refrain.

A standout feature of Arcadia is the introduction of Russell Moore-longtime frontman of IIIrd Tyme Out and one of the most celebrated vocalists in bluegrass-stepping into the male lead vocal role following the departure of Dan Tyminski. Moore and Krauss share lead duties on the album's advance singles: Krauss on the opener, and Moore on "Granite Mills," a stirring ballad recounting the tragic 1874 Pemberton Mill fire in Massachusetts. Moore also brings his signature sound to JD McPherson's "North Side Gal" and the wintry, reflective track "Snow."

Other highlights include "The Wrong Way," a minimalist showcase of Krauss's interpretive strength, and "Richmond on the James," a Civil War-era narrative that echoes timeless themes of friendship, loss, and duty. The album's closer, "There's a Light up Ahead," features Krauss's vocals against a backdrop of delicate dobro, mandolin, and guitar, in a sonic callback to her Oscar-nominated work on the Cold Mountain soundtrack.

Union Station veterans Ron Block, Jerry Douglas, and Barry Bales return in full form, joined on tour by fiddle virtuoso Stuart Duncan. The album also includes guest appearances by mandolin legend Adam Steffey on "One Ray of Shine" and "Richmond on the James," and Viktor Krauss, Alison's brother, who contributes piano, string arrangements, and an original composition set to Maurice Ogden's poem "The Hangman," featuring Moore.

Krauss and Moore will tour with Union Station beginning in April, continuing into 2026. While Tyminski contributes acoustic guitar and mandolin to Arcadia, he steps away from the group to pursue his solo career, leaving the band in capable and celebrated hands.

Arcadia is a return-and a continuation. It reflects the quiet power and storytelling spirit that fans have come to love from Alison Krauss & Union Station, while ushering in a new chapter with fresh voices and timeless songs.