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Dolly Parton is one of those living icons who's reached such a level of success and been there for so long that it almost doesn't matter what she does, or even if what she does is of any quality. People will buy it, like it, and she'll continue to be applauded and worshiped. With 1999's The Grass Is Blue Dolly dared to abandon the pure-pop and country-pop success that she had courted and won throughout the 80s and early 90s. And it was a rousing success both artistically and commercially. But, The Grass Is Blue was just the first punch in a one-two-three knockout trio of bluegrass albums she cut in the early 2000s. And my favorite in the trio is Little Sparrow, which as the somber and reflective cover suggests is the more serious and emotionally fragile of the three.
Little Sparrow reminded me of the first time that I heard Coat of Many Colors. I had always known of Dolly Parton, but I grew up post-"9 to 5", Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias. So when I thought of Dolly Parton, I thought of the hilarious little spit-fire who was famous for being tacky, having big boobs and giant blonde hair, and was an all around entertainer. I always liked her, but I had little to no idea just how immensely talented she was. It took me a while to realize that the Vegas-showgirl-by-way-of-Appalachia was the same woman who wrote "Jolene," "I Will Always Love You," "Coat of Many Colors" and so many other wonderful songs.
When I first heard Coat of Many Colors I was blown away by how much of a genius she was in her way of crafting a song. It wasn't just that she was a talented songwriter, which she is, or a remarkable vocalist, which she also is, but it was the amount of instruments that she could play, the fact that she was so instrumental in crafting every piece from the ground-up. It was how she could explore so many different facets of her imagination, personal life and memories to create songs that really touched you.
Little Sparrow is almost as perfect as Coat of Many Colors. There's a haunted, sad aura around much of the record, and given that it's dedicated to her late father, that doesn't come as a surprise. What does come as a surprise is the way that she takes her song "My Blue Tears" from Coat of Many Colors and transforms it from a 70s Nashville country song into a mountain-folk bluegrass hymnal. Or the way that she takes "Little Sparrow," a folk song from the Appalachian mountains, and delivers it with a combination of vocal strength and quavering emotion. And "Down From Dover" sees a Gaelic group called Altan help her turn her own song into a song that sounds like it's always been a mournful Irish ditty ("My Blues Tears" and "Dover" are the two songs that she has rerecorded for this album).
But, since this is Dolly Parton we're talking about and one of her greatest strengths is in her ability to always try and stay positive and hopeful, there are moments of pure levity. The Grass Is Blue laid the groundwork for the trio of albums - a combination of originals, hymnals and folk-songs, with a dash of pop songs reinterpreted as bluegrass numbers. Grass had Billy Joel's "Travelin' Prayer," but Little Sparrow sees Cole Porter's "I Get a Kick Out of You" get the banjo-and-fiddle treatment. But most shockingly, and effectively, is hearing Collective Soul's "Shine" being turned into a bluegrass-gospel hybrid complete with a banjo line and one of Parton's finest vocal performances in quite some time. Truth be told, Sparrow could have used a few more moments of levity and the pure joy that Parton does so well.
It's always wonderful to see a legend continue to produce something of high quality when they're encroaching into nearly half a century of fame, and it's also incredibly rare. So what song to pick from Little Sparrow to recommend for your listening enjoyment? When an album feels like one solid, complete piece it's always hard to pick one standout moment. But I'll give it my best shot. DOWNLOAD: "Little Sparrow"
