The high lonesome sound of her Smoky Mountain upbringing has run like a clear stream through Dolly Parton's career. But it wasn't until THE GRASS IS BLUE that Parton brought it all back home with an album of traditional bluegrass. Though grounded in the music of her childhood, this isn't a nostalgic trip. Instead, it's a vigorous and delightful collection of traditional tunes ("Cash on the Barrelhead," "I'll Sleep with One Eye Open") and newgrass ("Train, Train" and Billy Joel's "Travelin' Prayer"). She reworks the Appalachian folk ballad "Silver Dagger" (a hit for Joan Baez in the '60s) as a bluegrass lament and takes the Johnny Cash standard "I Still Miss Someone" to a natural home among the mountains. Several tracks, including the the title, are Parton originals; the bluegrass gospel gem "I Am Ready" was penned by Parton's sister Rachel Dennison. Parton has also assembled an outstanding cast of players and harmony vocalists, among them bluegrass Grammy favorites Claire Lynch, Alison Krauss, Stuart Duncan, and Sam Bush, as well as country star Patty Loveless. United in supporting Parton and the music, their stellar backup work is a testament to the power of tradition and the taste of its folk masters.
![I Need You [Bonus Tracks]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0715187873827_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "I Need You [Bonus Tracks]")
![16 Biggest Hits [2005]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0886978311825_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "16 Biggest Hits [2005]")
![Very Best of Dolly Parton [BMG 2007]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0886970607421_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Very Best of Dolly Parton [BMG 2007]")
