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ALISON KRAUSS & UNION STATION "Lonely Runs Both Ways" (Rounder) 3 stars

Democratic and Republican strategists looking for ways to bridge the red state-blue state gap that divides the nation could learn a thing or two from Alison Krauss and her band. Since the `80s, they've been making lovely peace between American music's unvarnished past and ultra-glossy present, and on "Lonely Runs Both Ways," they again prove that old-time bluegrass and gospel can harmoniously coexist with _ and, heck, sometimes even complement _ newfangled acoustic pop and ponderous contemporary folk.

"Lonely," like 2001's "New Favorite," is a musical big tent whose 15 tunes sometimes feel as if they belong on separate albums. The contrast is particularly striking when you listen to the album's third and fourth tracks. On the driving "Rain Please Go Away," a no-holds-barred bluegrass tune by Del McCoury, Union Station guitarist Dan Tyminski belts out raw lines like "My love is gone/This time to stay" in a piercing tenor that's worthy of a 1930s hoedown. Just moments later, on the New Age-y "Goodbye Is All We Have," Krauss all but whispers ...