We have posted several times this past few weeks about the upcoming CD release from country superstar, Alan Jackson. It is produced by Alison Krauss, and was initially described as being intended to have a bluegrass flavor, though the subsequent sessions took a more mainstream country turn.

We were in communication recently with Dave Denman, a member of a very early iteration of Krauss’ Union Station, and who received a call from her when she started tracking the AJ project. He ended up contributing on six different tracks, including Alan’s take on Herb Pedersen’s Wait A Minute, made into a bluegrass classic by John Starling and The Seldom Scene. Dave sang tenor, and Sam Bush baritone on this track. What a treat it would be to hear that one on country radio!

Dave also mentioned that former Union Station bassist, John Pennell, had a song of his included on the new CD. It is one called As Lovely as You, and was written back when both he and Denman were members of Alison’s band. Pennell contributed a number of songs to early Alison Krauss recordings, such as Every Time You Say Goodbye and Dark Skies.

The new CD, as yet untitled, is expected in September (9/26 release), and a single, Like Red On A Rose, is already being played on country radio. That song was written by Robert Lee Castleman and Melanie Castleman. Alison has recorded a number of Robert Lee Castleman songs on her recent projects, including such popular tracks as Let Me Touch You For Awhile, The Lucky One and Forget About It.

We previously reported that Alison Krauss was producing a new CD by Alan Jackson that was said to be a bluegrass record. Alison did produce the new CD, but this morning we noticed a report on a Net Music Countdown stating that the new CD is finished, but isn’t bluegrass.

“‘[Like] Red On a Rose’ was one of the first things we cut,” Alan says. “I loved it the first time I heard the demo.” After recording this and a couple of other songs, Alan and Alison decided they should move ahead and work together on a complete album. They initially got together thinking they might try working on a bluegrass project of some sort…but the songs they record ended up taking them in a bit of a different direction.

Sorry I missed this while I was away last week…

Billboard and Reuters are reporting that country music superstar Alan Jackson is at work on a bluegrass album, produced by Alison Krauss, which is expected to be released in September of 2006.

It is also mentioned on Jackson’s web site.