Little Sparrow

Inspiration takes wing on Little Sparrow. With its soaring harmonies and sprightly acoustic arrangements, Dolly Parton's second bluegrass-oriented album (following 1999's The Grass Is Blue) recalls the unaffected purity of her Coat of Many Colors and Jolene days in the 1970s. Rarely does a veteran artist sound so renewed, as Parton applies her bittersweet trill to a selection that extends from a majestic reading of Collective Soul's "Shine" through a banjo-driven breakdown on Steve Young's "Seven Bridges Road" and a breezy romp through Cole Porter's "I Get a Kick Out of You." Original material such as "My Blue Tears" and "Mountain Angel" brings out the best in Parton, though the overly precious title cut and the girlish "Marry Me" don't fare as well. With the support of vocal acolytes including Alison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent, Claire Lynch, and Maura O'Connell, Parton sounds like she's leading a heavenly choir. --Don McLeese