Rick Clark's Music I Love Blog: Artist: Dolly Parton - Albums: The Grass Is Blue, Little Sparrow
I’ve been a Dolly Parton fan for many years. When I think about all she’s accomplished, I get worn out. The times I’ve interviewed her for magazine features or was just around her, she was so impressive and delightful as a person. She’s the real deal and earned her great success thanks to her extraordinary talents as a singer, songwriter and actress, plus being an unstoppable force who doesn’t seem to dignify any roadblocks.
On top of that she has given back so much to the music community, along with her great philanthropic efforts like the Imagination Library.
Right now, I want to throw a little love on two albums she did at the turn of the millennium, The Grass Is Blue and Little Sparrow for the Americana label Sugar Hill. By the time these albums came out, she had been an international star for years. Dolly had already gone from making a slew of legendary country recordings like Coat of Many Colors, Just Because I’m A Woman, Hello I’m Dolly and her duet albums with Porter Wagoner to being a movie marquee draw with huge films like Nine To Five, Steel Magnolias, Rhinestone and others.
When Dolly Parton hit mega-stardom with Nine To Five, it seemed her recorded outlet during the 80’s and much of the 90’s, while commercially very successful, seemed hit and miss to my ears. Of course, I’m sure a lot of her fans would very much disagree with me.
When The Grass Is Blue was released, along with the follow-up Little Sparrow, it was like a breath of fresh air. Both albums were spirited returns to a beautiful organic purity. The song choices were a blend of Parton originals and eclectic covers. A big highlight on The Grass Is Blue is her version of Billy Joel’s “Travelin’ Prayer” and the traditional song “Silver Dagger.” Parton’s originals, “The Grass Is Blue” and the gospel “I Am Ready” are also lovely.
Little Sparrow is just as strong in my opinion. The haunting title track that kicks off the album is classic Parton. She sounds like she’s whispering a warning into your ear. Her version of Collective Soul’s “Shine” is surprisingly effective and I prefer it to the original hit version. Her bluegrass take on Steve Young’s “Seven Bridges Road” is also a knock-out. Much the album has a more intimate feels than The Grass Is Blue as evidenced in beautiful numbers like “The Beautiful Lie,” “ Mountain Angel,” “In The Sweet By and By” and “My Blue Tears.”
I used “Seven Bridges Road” and “Travelin’ Prayer” on two Oxford American CDs I produced … the Tennessee music issue and the 2001 Music Issue CD. Both of these albums are such warm testaments to Parton’s artistry. I’ve enjoyed many hours letting these spin at home and the office. Hope you like what you hear. Thanks for listening.
Dolly Parton - “Travelin’ Prayer” (1999)
Dolly Parton - “Seven Bridges Road” from Little Sparrow