Dolly Parton
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"The Grass Is Blue"
Hungry Again, 1998's return to form,
was the sound of a country legend with nothing to lose and playing
for keeps. Still, that startling album barely presaged the seamless
grace of Dolly Parton's subsequent celebration of her mountain
roots. This may be a full-out bluegrass venture, but tradition
only tells half the story. The daring set includes barnstorming
remakes of songs by Billy Joel and Blackfoot, two new Parton
originals, and the old-as-time folk narrative "Silver Dagger,"
transformed--via Sam Bush's vertiginous mandolin picking and
Jerry Douglas's frenzied Dobro work--into a mysterious, ambient
epic. It's a testament to the force of Parton's voice and personality
that while surrounded by top-tier players like Stuart Duncan
(fiddle) and Bryan Sutton (guitar) she's still the undeniable
leader. Her singing is masterful, absolutely vibrating with energy
and soulfulness. Along with Steve Earle's The Mountain, this
is the finest bluegrass release of 1999, and one of the most
fully realized albums of Partons career. --Roy K |
Customer review from Amazon
Reviewer: Mthivier from Boston
Coming on the heels of last year's brilliantly inspired TRIO
2 with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, Parton continues to
draw on the momentum she's recently gathered after twenty years
of tabloid, tinsel and trash. Long since banished from country
radio for committing the hideous sin of being over 50, she has
apparently decided to stop competing for country airplay, and
actually take a risk (perhaps inspired by her pal Emmylou Harris'
1995 masterpiece WRECKING BALL,). She does a delightful job on
such bluegrass standards as the Louvin Brothers'"Cash on
the Barrelhead," and Lester Flatt's "Sleep with One
Eye Open", as well as four original compositions, but the
best two cuts on this album are also the most unlikely: a bluegrass
romp through Billy Joel's "Traveling Prayer," and a
reading of "Silver Dagger" which is almost as thrilling
as Joan Baez' definitive version. This is the type of music she
should be making at this stage of her career. |
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