While perhaps not as completely a bluegrass project as a few of her recent ones, the new Dolly Parton CD, Those Were The Days – officially released today – is said to “retain the bluegrass-inspired sound that earned her two Grammys and a new generation of fans for her previous four albums on Sugar Hill Records.”
In a departure from most Parton recordings, this one does not feature her own songs, but instead focuses on pop songs from the 60s and 70s, in some cases including guest vocals from the artists that had originally recorded the songs. Dolly recuts Judy Collins’ classic take on Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now, with Judy and Rhonda Vincent guesting on vocals. Imagine Dolly doing Crimson And Clover with Tommy James on harmony vocals and guitar, and you’ll have the flavor of this new CD.
She also offers her take on Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ In The Wind, with Nickel Creek on backing vocals, Where Do The Children Play, with Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) on guitar, and The Byrds’ Turn, Turn, Turn with Roger McGuinn on guitar and vocal. Alison Krauss and Dan Tyminski also perform on the CD.
While the Sugar Hill web site doesn’t have any audio samples up, there is a track listing that shows the guest artists on each song, and a list of dates for Dolly’s current tour.
