After starting the 90s with the most successful run of her career, Dolly Parton closed out the decade with a string of lower profile albums.

Something Special (1995) was notable for including re-recordings of classic hits ‘Jolene’ and ‘I Will Always Love You,’ which didn’t do any favors to the new material. Treasures (1996) was a covers album on which Dolly tried her hand at songs by Neil Young, Cat Stevens, and Katrina and the Waves, among others.

Hungry Again (1998) is the album from this era I will seek out. It’s a collection of acoustic songs Parton wrote during a three-month span at a lakeside Tennessee cottage. Parton produced the album, which she recorded in her cousin’s basement studio, making this one of her most personal efforts.

Finally, Precious Memories (1999) is a gospel album that was sold only at Dollywood (though it was eventually released to digital platforms).

That brings us to the turn of the millennium, when Parton embarked on one of her most creatively rewarding projects: a trilogy of traditional bluegrass albums.

Parton employed some of the country’s best bluegrass musicians to accompany her on the albums — 1999’s The Grass is Blue, 2001’s Little Sparrow, and 2002’s Halos & Horns. The tracklists combined Parton originals, traditional songs, and contemporary covers (including Billy Joel’s ‘Travelin’ Prayer’).

These albums were very well-received, winning Parton three of her ten lifetime Grammys and allowing her to stretch creatively rather than chase the trends of mainstream country radio.

I spent the most time with Little Sparrow, and it’s a gorgeous piece of work. Parton’s voice is a perfect match for the elegant arrangements, and the instrumentation is sublime. This rocketed right to the top of my favorite Dolly albums, and I’m guessing its sister recordings would be right there with it.