The Grass Is Blue is the thirty-seventh solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on October 26, 1999, by Sugar Hill and Blue Eye Records. The album won a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album and "Travelin' Prayer" was nominated for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
The album includes a mixture of Parton originals and folk and bluegrass standards, as well as a Billy Joel cover. "Silver Dagger", a late nineteenth century ballad, had been popularized by Joan Baez during the early 1960s. Parton had originally written "Steady as the Rain" for her younger sister Stella Parton, who had a top 40 country hit with the song in 1979. "Will He Be Waiting for Me" is an updated version of a song which Parton originally recorded for her 1972 album, Touch Your Woman. The album also includes a cover of the Blackfoot song "Train, Train".
I’m glad someone suggested another Dolly Parton album. She’s a national treasure with such a long career it’s good to hear some of her “newer” stuff. Just wonderful!
Dolly Parton is a national treasure, and I'll fight anyone who disagrees. Not only is she a great person, but she's also a great talent. While not exactly my favorite kind of music, this is some great bluegrass. 4 stars.
Bluesgrass-heavy country, straight down the middle - even the format, just under 45 minutes, only a couple songs over 4 minutes... And of course it's all consummately professional - top level craft across the board. It is Parton herself that elevates it above being just a very sickly produced modern country album with a bit of extra roots spin on it: there is just something fundamentally real and sincere about her performances. I'm not a huge country music person but I'd listen to more of this any day.
It's not my typical jam, but I love me some Americana and I love Dolly's personality so much. I'll admit my toe tapped a few times. 3.5/5 rounding up to 4/5 because she's an amazing person.
Oh boy I was ready to dismiss this out of hand but it's actually quite good.
Dolly has such a good voice it's hard to believe it's not digitally enhanced. The instrumentalisation is spot on- very well produced but then I don't know why I'm suprised as this would no doubt been heavily backed by a major label.
I prefer the Bluegrass to the C&W tunes she's normally associated with.
Fuuuuuckin' hell I hate fiddle and banjo. Reckon there's a special place in hell that's just this kind of corny country shit played nonstop forever. Fuck no.
Definitely not my style. But I am pretty sure it is a decent example of what it is supposed to be. I am interested in why this particular Dolly Parton record was chosen out of the very large number she created over the years.
Dolly is always a guaranteed great listen, I didn't know she had over 37(!) LPs by 1999 and likely many more today. Given her notable albums are already on the list, I'm not sure this was the most necessary add (especially since there aren't any tracks on here that seem to be Best Hits), but an enjoyable listen nonetheless. Still worthwhile to celebrate one of the only genuinely good people on the planet, seems like every musician nowadays has skeletons in the closet but Dolly keeps on being an angel.
I love Dolly Parton as a human; I do not love her as a musician.
That being said, I do enjoy bluegrass over country, and this album was fine. I see why it wasn't included on the original list, though. Dolly has so much more impactful work.
Obviously Dolly Parton is incredible. I don't have all the context for different periods of her career or anything, and I'm not super familiar with her records, but this was just so enjoyable and lovely on a weekend morning.
Dolly Parton may be a national treasure, but this album is nothing all that special. Bluegrass is a genre that probably would need more covering on the list, if it weren't for the one on the list being nearly two hours long. This is decent, but we're still missing Parton's Jolene (the album) and that seems like a more obvious pick.