Alison Krauss & Union Station

Paper Airplane (Rounder)

Bluegrass songbird rises from the ashes of Albion with 11 impeccables beginning with the breathtaking title track and equally stilling “Lie Awake.” Union Station masters Dan Tyminski (mandolin), Ron Block (banjo), and Jerry Douglas (Dobro) suit up behind the boss lady fiddling Lori McKenna and Jackson Browne, but a treacly take on Richard Thompson (“Dimming of the Day”) and “Sinking Stone” or two too many disappoint.

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This article appears in May 20 • 2011.

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San Francisco native Raoul Hernandez crossed the border into Texas on July 2, 1992, and began writing about music for the Chronicle that fall, debuting with an album review of Keith Richards’ Main Offender. By virtue of local show previews – first “Recommendeds,” now calendar picks – his writing’s appeared in almost every issue since 1993.