First solo LP in 17 years finds the music icon covering country and bluegrass classics!

Windy City gathers bluegrass and country rarities and standards alike — tunes originally performed by artists including Brenda Lee, Willie Nelson, Bill Monroe and the Osborne Brothers. The ornate, elegant arrangements, which include string sections and even, much to Krauss’ delight, a tuba, all serve to highlight her uniquely ethereal voice.

Windy City was crafted with a variety of session pros that included members of Krauss’ longtime band, Union Station, including Dan Tyminski, Ron Block and Barry Bales. “My musical identity is really tied up in the guys I play with,” Krauss says. “There’s no way I go or play anywhere or sing anything that isn’t influenced by the guys I’ve played with for so long. Everything I do is influenced by them. No matter what I do or who I play with, they go where I go.”

Now that the album is complete, Krauss — who holds the record for the most Grammy wins ever by a female artist — has no doubts about reviving her solo career with an album that digs deep into her musical past. “It was a beautiful thing that happened,” she says of Windy City. “Now it feels like this album has always been there. It’s a really sweet feeling.”