Composer/double bassist
Viktor Krauss has spent a great deal of time lurking in the shadows as a much sought-after session player. With an audio resumé that boasts collaborations with
Sam Bush,
the Chieftains,
Lyle Lovett,
Dolly Parton, and
Bill Frisell,
Krauss is no novice. His debut for Nonesuch Records,
Far from Enough, features a band culled from the very core of progressive country, bluegrass, and jazz. Sister
Alison Krauss, string giant
Jerry Douglas, drummer
Steve Jordan, and guitar icon
Frisell return the favor on 11 moody instrumentals and one choice cover. Self-described as "a soundtrack without the movie" -- which should really be its own genre by now --
Far from Enough bristles with late-night electricity and post-dawn melancholy, utilizing its author's abilities like a canvas painting itself. The supernatural fluidity of
Douglas' slide work sneaks in and out
Frisell's meandering solos like a jealous lover, especially on the rolling title track.
Alison Krauss, whose delicate vocals are run through a
David Lynch/
Angelo Badalamenti filter, harmonizes with her brother effectively, especially on the appropriately titled "Overcast," a spooky piece of mood music that reveals petal after petal of sneaky motifs. "Philo" begins with
Viktor supplying a clever overtone lick on the upright while
Frisell lazily flirts with the blues, maintaining a slithery allegiance to his jazzier tendencies, leaving
Alison to lay on the glue with sultry "ooohs" and "ahhhs" -- the cover of
Robert Plant's "Big Log" is effortless, and her breathy delivery fits the material like a new pair of shoes. The raw "Grit Lap" sounds like filler from
Tom Waits'
Bone Machine, but this aggressive style fares better on the funky "Here to Be Me," a pounding middle finger of a song that manages to achieve a near perfect
John Bonham drum sound while simultaneously channeling
Medeski, Martin & Wood. It's difficult to pull
Krauss out of the mix, as his work so echoes his previous incarnations as a sideman. In fact, it's hard not to experience
Far from Enough as the dark older sibling to
Frisell's
Nashville. However, it's a testament to his abilities as a collaborator that these excellent musicians feel so comfortable just being themselves, and the mark of a true captain to run the ship from the rear. ~ James Christopher Monger