"Little Sparrow," released in January 2001 on Sugar Hill / Blue Eye Records (SUG-CD 3927), is the sequel to Parton's Grammy-winning "The Grass Is Blue" (1999) and the high-water mark of her bluegrass trilogy. Produced by Parton with a cast anchored by Jerry Douglas (dobro), Barry Bales (bass), Bryan Sutton (guitar), Jim Mills (banjo), and Chris Thile (mandolin), the album broadens the palette into Appalachian folk, Celtic material, and country gospel alongside straight bluegrass. "Shine" — a reimagining of the Collective Soul rock song — won Parton the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Critics called the album stronger than its predecessor; Billboard wrote that it "peels the paint off the walls." The record stands as a landmark of a mainstream country star crossing fully into the acoustic roots tradition.
Tracklist
- 1 Little Sparrow 4:14
- 2 Shine 5:11
- 3 I Don’t Believe You’ve Met My Baby alt version 3:02
- 4 My Blue Tears 3:03
- 5 Seven Bridges Road 3:29
- 6 Bluer Pastures 4:10
- 7 A Tender Lie 3:44
- 8 I Get a Kick out of You 2:30
- 9 Mountain Angel 6:51
- 10 Marry Me 3:18
- 11 Down from Dover 5:09
- 12 The Beautiful Lie 2:34
- 13 Sweet By and By alt version 3:18
- 14 Little Sparrow - Reprise 1:36
