Krauss is back, leading new release pack

Friday, February 17, 2017 – Only 18 years after her last solo disc, Allson Krauss returns with "Windy City." The bluegrasser expands well beyond that sound with country, jazz and other sounds. Krauss covers 10 classic songs that she selected with producer Buddy Cannon. Among them are Glenn Campbell's "Gentle On My Mind," Willie Nelson's "I Never Cared For You," Eddie Arnold's "You Don't Know Me," which he wrote with Cindy Walker, and Brenda Lee's "Losing You." Krauss spent her entire recording career solo and with Union Station until this release on Capitol.

Nikki Lane is out with her third album, "Highway Queen" on New West Records. The 10-song set from the South Carolina native and current Nashville resident finds Lane mining Outlaw Country sounds. Lane and fellow singer-songwriter Jonathan Tyler co-produced the disc recorded in Denton, Texas.

Son Volt, led by Jay Farrar, is out with "Notes of Blue." The band now consists of Jacob Edwards on drums, Mark Spencer on bass, Gary Hunt on fiddle and Jason Kardong on pedal steel. Farrar produced the 10-song release, which was influenced by the blues. Think Mississippi Fred McDowell and Skip James touchstones.

The Gibson Brothers do the bluegrass brothers harmony thing on "In the Ground." The 13-song disc is their first to contain only originals, quite the contrast with their previous release, "Brotherhood." That was recorded as a tribute to brother duets in bluegrass.

"Nashville Duets" by the Nashville cast is out, continuing the series of albums from the television show of the same name. The compilation features collaborations from some of couples as heard throughout the series. Since the show's debut in 2012, Big Machine Records has released eight "Nashville" soundtracks.