![]() ![]() It was artistic and perfectly suited for her softer touch. Not to sound cliché, but Krauss’ take on “Ghost in This House” was much darker and, shall we say, “haunting” than the radio version. ![]() The heartbroken subject matter of 1989’s Two Highways, then, revealed an artist and band that wasn’t so far removed from country music, with brokenhearted subject matter framed through the detail and irony of modern folk and bluegrass music. Backed by her Union Station band, a handpicked quartet of young, talented pickers she joined in 1986, Krauss began making albums that regularly topped the bluegrass charts, and reinvented the typically male-dominated, fast-picking play style to fit her mold – one that emphasized both a lonesome-sounding soprano vocal and a heightened lyrical focus that were supported by the arrangements, rather than the other way around. Her distinctive, aching soprano would garner the most attention, however, when she signed with Rounder Records and released her debut album – 1987’s Too Late to Cry. He found an answer through a bluegrass prodigy.īefore she spearheaded the late ‘90s bluegrass revival, Alison Krauss was a child prodigy, known for her fiddling skills. He liked the Shenandoah version and especially Raybon’s voice, but also wished it was less produced. Prestwood had originally envisioned his work as a little darker than it eventually became anyway, something slower and heavier. In the meantime, another version was recorded that wasn’t meant for country radio. The group would eventually bounce back, but sadly, the momentum from that single didn’t haunt listeners for long. Unfortunately for Shenandoah, three other groups eventually claimed rights to the band name, and lawsuits forced the act into bankruptcy. He had country artist Michael Johnson in mind to record it, but it would be an Alabama-inspired band to tackle it instead.īetween 19, Shenandoah became known for its dense harmonies and knack for melodic hooks through a consistent run of singles in “The Church on Cumberland Road,” “Sunday in the South,” “Two Dozen Roses,” and “Next to You, Next to Me.” Something as slow and numbingly sad as “Ghost in This House,” then, presented a new side to lead singer Marty Raybon’s huge, expressive delivery, and became an eventual top five hit for the band. ![]() ![]() That’s all I am.” An idea became a song when, during the dead of winter in New York (brutal enough as that is), Prestwood’s wife was involved in a minor car wreck, causing him to question what he would have been left had things been worse. The inspiration behind “Ghost in This House” came from watching Grapes of Wrath, in which the Muley character loses everything and remarks that, “I’m just an old graveyard ghost. He never lived in Nashville, so his most well-known writing cuts – including Kathy Mattea’s “Asking Us to Dance,” Randy Travis’ “Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart,” and Trisha Yearwood’s “The Song Remembers When,” among others – were penned solely by him, and allowed him to sit with the melody and lyrics until the song was deemed ready. The first paradox of “Ghost in This House” stems from its writer, Hugh Prestwood, a self-described slow, methodical writer who tended to write one song a month – one at a time. This is a tale of two songs presented as one, both in spirit and musical form. Shenandoah / Alison Krauss & Union Station ![]()
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