Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton

Little Sparrow (Sugar Hill)

Last year's The Grass Is Blue found Dolly Parton going back to her roots in the Tennessee hills and immersing herself in bluegrass, with delightful results. This follow-up is in much the same vein, and if anything, is a better and more well-rounded effort. Recruiting many of the same crack bluegrass players (Bryan Sutton on guitar, Jerry Douglas on dobro, Stuart Duncan on fiddle), Parton takes on the Louvin Brothers' "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby," Collective Soul's "Shine," and the public-domain chestnut "In the Sweet By and By." Most of Little Sparrow, however, boasts Parton's own songwriting, as sweet and honest as her voice. Alison Krauss steps in several times for perfect-fit harmonies, and Steve Buckingham's production is crisp and unaffected. The haunting title track stands out in particular, as beautiful and fragile as its namesake. A career in Nashville country may have colored many folks' view of Dolly Parton, but the girl from Sevierville really belongs in the same category as Ralph Stanley, Del McCoury, and Ricky Skaggs; this wonderful CD and its predecessor prove it. Now that Nashville has parted ways with performers like her in favor of slicker, younger, and more contrived product, Parton is free to explore, and this is another step in the right direction.