Dolly's latest is fabulous!

OK, I'll admit it, I was never much of a Dolly Parton fan. I like traditional country music, but I'd never heard her do much of that. Sure I liked "Jolene", but besides that, the only thing I could remember Dolly for was that silly "9 to 5" song.
I read a few reviews of "The Grass is Blue" and was intrigued enough by folks falling all over themselves saying how great it was that I actually plunked down the cash and bought the dang thing. Wow--they were right! This is one incredible CD! Dolly got back to her roots and made a folk-bluegrass masterpiece. It was up for a Grammy as best traditional folk album (don't recall if it won), and deservedly so.
Dolly went to a small, respected label, Sugar Hill for this release. I don't know the story, but I imagine the Nashville establishment wasn't too excited of her idea to make a non-commercial album. Still, she enlisted the top pickers in the bluegrass field, and their playing shines throughout this.
The songs she selected here are impeccable. Dolly's own stellar compositions stand up well against classic material by the Louvin Brothers and Johnny Cash. Her voice is breathtaking here, often in great harmonies with the likes of Allison Kraus and Patty Loveless. The arrangements are for the traditional bluegrass combo--guitar, bass, mandolin, banjo, and fiddle, with the addition of dobro master Jerry Douglas.
My favorite cut has to be Dolly's arrangement of the traditional folk ballad "Silver Dagger", which is so beautiful I can't even describe it. That song alone is worth the price of the CD.
Whether or not you're a Dolly Parton fan, if you enjoy folk, country, or bluegrass music, I guarantee you will love this CD. It's my favorite album of 1999, and I'm so glad that it exists I've purchased four more copies for friends (and they've all loved it!).