"Lonely Runs Both Ways" was released in 2004, and eventually became another Alison Krauss & Union Station gold certified album. Ron Block described "Lonely Runs Both Ways" as "pretty much... what we've always done" in terms of song selection and the style, in which those songs were recorded. Krauss believes the group "was probably the most unprepared we've ever been" for the album and that songs were chosen as needed rather than planned beforehand. She also performed a duet with Brad Paisley on his album "Mud on the Tires" in the single "Whiskey Lullaby". The single was quickly ranked in the top fifty of the "Billboard" Hot 100 and the top five of the Hot Country Songs, and won the Country Music Association Awards for "Best Musical Event" and "Best Music Video" of the year.