DOLLY PARTON
Halos And Horns (Sugar Hill)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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With a 40+ year recording career that has filled her shelves with Grammies, CMA awards and gold and platinum albums, Dolly Parton finds herself in the enviable position of being able to make any damn music she wants to. As she puts it, "I have to sing, I have to write...but I don't need to make a living at it." The reward for such artistic freedom has been both artistic and commercial success, with both of her first two Sugar Hill releases winning Grammy awards and country radio taking another look after years of neglect.

For her third Sugar Hill effort, Parton has eschewed the use of A-list studio superstars in favor of her Nashville band and players who work at her Dollywood theme park, any of whom could fill any studio slot open at will. For material, she's pulled out 10 new tunes, recycled a pair of her old songs in a new setting and produced a pair of covers. For covers, there's an uptempo version of David Gates' "If" and, yes, there's Dolly's interpretation of "Stairway To Heaven." (It works, folks. Really.) The originals include bluegrass raveups, country ballads and gospel gems, but most of all they feature the talents of one of the truly great country singer/songwriters of our time. She has to sing, she has to write, and if you're like me, you'll have to hear it.

Track List:

Halos & Horns & Sugar Hill * Not For Me * Hello God * If * Shattered Image * These Old Bones * What A Heartache * I'm Gone * Raven Dove * Dagger Through The Heart * If Only * John Daniel * Stairway To Heaven

© 2002 - Shaun Dale