Dolly's sequel to her 2000 IBMA Album Of The Year, The Grass Is Blue, bridges the gap between bluegrass and Appalachian folk music, and even includes a few songs with an Irish flavor. Little Sparrow is a stunning blend of these genres and draws material from varied sources, including Dolly's own unparalleled songwriting. "She has proven to be the rarest of figures, a singer and songwriter who became a superstar yet retained the skills and impulses of a serious, seriously driven artist.... An artist of extraordinary skill and astonishing vitality. You must buy this album!

It's no surprise to hear gospel ("The Sweet By and By") on this album, or inspired tributes to Bill Monroe ("Bluer Pastures"), the Louvin Brothers ("Don't Believe You've Met My Baby") or even the Amazing Rhythm Aces ("Beautiful Lie"). Dolly's still on familiar turf with Steve Young's Southern anthem "Seven Bridges Road," a much-covered classic that never reached its bluegrass potential 'til she took it under her wing. And then you come to astonishing bluegrass arrangements of the rock song "Shine," by Collective Soul, and the Cole Porter standard "I Get A Kick Out of You." Oh, and a full-service Irish band, Altan, complete with accordion, bouzouki and whistles.

If Bill Monroe and Cole Porter never met in life, here they meet and get along famously. Somehow, with Dolly in the director's chair, it all flows harmoniously in the same direction, as surely as every river west of the Blue Ridge flows into the Gulf. What she sets out to prove is that there's no good song you can't mountainize, with the right stuff and the right musicians.

Wow! This is getting to be a habit -- brilliant new music from Dolly Parton. Little Sparrow is balanced a bit more toward country than "The Grass Is Blue," but is still a great fusion between these closely related genres. The title track is a sad ballad which Dolly wrote about "love 'em & leave 'em" guys. "Shine" with it's lyric "Heaven let your light shine," is essential Dolly. Written by Ed Roland, Jerry Douglas' resophonic guitar and Chris Thiele's mandolin flurry could almost bring heaven down to earth with Dolly's joyful vocal making us feel that we too can touch the sky. There are no weak songs on the CD. "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby" is an uptempo country tune with "My Blue Tears" being classic slow country. Dolly's rendition of Steve Young's "Seven Bridges Road" really brings out the beauty of the melody as banjo, guitar and mandolin provide acoustic pyrotechnics. "Bluer Pastures" takes us back to the classic days of country music, as does Dolly's reading of Randy Sharp's "A Tender Lie." One of the great moments is the uptempo bluegrass country version of Cole Porter's "I Get a Kick Out of You." Alison Krause's harmony vocals and Dolly's little chuckle at the end make this utterly charming. Dolly wrtoe "Mountain Angel" which is a great country ballad and the uptempo happy fiddle tune "Marry Me." "Down From Dover" is brought back with a great new treatment here. Mairead NiMaonaighi provides the Irish vocal with Dolly on the hymn "In the Sweet By & By." For the third time in a row counting "Hungry Eyes," Dolly shows she is in a prime period of musical creativity in her career. Don't miss out!

I purchased this cd at the weekend and played it yesterday which was a public holiday in Australia. I noticed that my neighbours from both sides came out into their back-yards to have a listen on the quiet. They stood there motionless, drawn to this beautiful music.

Like most people, I assumed Dolly Parton only sang "Jolene" type songs. Didn't even know she wrote songs. Somebody mentioned this cd to me about 18 months ago and advised that you wouldn't believe it was Dolly Parton. For some reason I kept this advice in the back of my mind and only now have chosen to buy it out of all the other cd's I could have purchased. Is that a sign?

You will not be disappointed if you purchase this cd. It is superb in every aspect; songs, arrangements, lyrics, musicians and production.

I can't even begin to tell you how long I have been waiting for Dolly Parton to get over her Hollywood and pop phase and get back to making real country music -- the kind that first brought her to prominence to begin with.

For many, Parton is little more than a giggly Barbie doll, or the reincarnation of Mae West -- a woman long on personality and short on genuine talent. Those of us who remember the type of songs she wrote and recorded before 1977's pop sellout "Here You Come Again" have had a difficult time convincing others that this woman was smart, and talented. Parton's last album, the indispensable "The Grass is Blue" was most welcome as it brought Dolly, and her older fans, back from the wilderness, and it was a real eye (and ear) opener for many who knew little of Dolly other than what they saw on the headlines of the tabloids in the supermarket checkout.

"Little Sparrow" continues in the same manner as "The Grass is Blue," but adds a few twists. The same bluegrass underpinnings are there, but added into the mix are some Celtic touches that help to give the album a folkier fell, and one that is more reminiscent of traditional mountain music that ultimately paved the way for both bluegrass and country.

If you loved "The Grass is Blue" you won't be disappointed with "Little Sparrow." If you have neither, you need to correct this oversight ASAP.

Dolly Parton obviously enjoyed the taste of success she received with 1999's THE GRASS IS BLUE album, because shortly after it was released, came LITTLE SPARROW, an album that built on that bluegrass sound, and expanded. There's a lot of variety. She manages to pay tribute to a few artists, namely Bill Monroe (Bluer Pastures), the Amazing Rhythm Aces (Beautiful Lie), Steve Young (Seven Bridges Road), Cole Porter (I Get A Kick Out Of You) and the Louvin Brothers (I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby). She also puts her stamp on Collective Soul's "Shine", which was the album's first single. This is an amazing album, start to finish. She updates her classic ballad "My Blue Tears" with a bluegrass arrangement. There is a bit of gospel (In The Sweet By And By) and much more. "Mountain Angel" and "Down From Dover" (another old Dolly classic) are so heartbreaking, she vividly tells stories in these songs. Another favorite of mine is the ballad "A Tender Lie", which is just amazing. I really can't say enough about this amazing piece of music, except if you don't have it, get it!