The up-tempo Travellin' Prayer opens the album with impressive picking & is followed by another fast-paced track, the classic Cash On The Barrelhead. The sad ballad A Few Old Memories has exceptionally beautiful harmony vocals and reminds me of the song Just Someone I Used To Know on the
20 Greatest Hits album with Porter Wagoner. The Grass is Blue is a brilliant album but not quite as mournful & spiritual as the Emmylou Harris bluegrass masterpiece
Roses in the Snow.
There are three laments in a row; Steady As The Rain where Dolly doesn't sound sad at all, I Still Miss Someone where she does, and her own composition Endless Stream of Tears. The spectacular instrumental arrangements on Train Train are executed with great virtuosity; Bluegrass cannot be amongst the easiest styles of music to play. Then follow three highlights: the mid-tempo ballad I Wonder Where You Are Tonight where Dolly wails with aplomb, her own Will He Be Waiting For Me, a stunner with a catchy tune, striking imagery and soulful yearning in the vocals.
The title track, one of her greatest compositions, blends a beautiful melody with poetic lyrics that treat a melancholy subject with admiring subtlety and grace. The album closes with the stirring gospel song I Am Ready. The harmony vocalists
Alison Krauss, Dan Tyminski, Claire Lynch, Keith Little, Patty Loveless, Rhonda Vincent, Sam Bush, Barry Bales, Darrin Vincent & Alan O'Bryant merit mention for helping to make The Grass Is Blue so special.