Trio II

Performer: Trio
Artist: David Grisman; Edgar Meyer; David Lindley; Alison Krauss; Roy Huskey, Jr.
Producer: George Massenburg; John Starling
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Full performer name: Dolly Parton/Linda Ronstadt/Emmylou Harris. I FEEL THE BLUES MOVIN' IN is the second set of previously unreleased Trio recordings that were cut in 1994. Personnel: Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris (vocals); Dean Parks (acoustic & electric guitars, mandolin); Carl Jackson, Mark Casstevens, John Starling (acoustic guitar); Ben Keith (steel guitar); David Grisman (mandolin); Alison Krauss (fiddle); David Campbell (strings); Robby Buchanan (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, synthesizer); Helen Voices (synthesizer); David Lindley (autoharp); Dennis James (glass harmonica); Roy Huskey, Jr. (acoustic & electric basses); Edgar Meyer (acoustic bass); Leland Sklar (bass); Jim Keltner, Larry Atamanuik (drums). Engineers: George Massenburg, Nathaniel Kunkel. Recorded at The Site, Marin County, California. "After The Gold Rush" won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals. TRIO II was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Country Album. Personnel: Dean Parks (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin); John Starling, Mark Casstevens, Carl Jackson (acoustic guitar); Ben Keith (steel guitar); David Lindley (autoharp); David Grisman (mandolin); Alison Krauss (fiddle); Linda Ronstadt (strings); Roy M. "Junior" Husky (acoustic bass); Jim Keltner, Larry Atamanuik (drums). Audio Mixer: Linda Ronstadt. Recording information: Site, Marin County, GA. Arranger: Linda Ronstadt. Widely agreed upon as technically perfect, this five-year-in-the-making collaboration among these Oprytown divas should be a diamond -- or three diamonds: a Trio II tiara. But this album, for all its harmonic, sopranic vibrato perfection, is not a glassy ride across the entire lake. Let Linda Ronstadt covet the tracks for her own album projects as much as she reportedly had -- Dolly Parton walks all over this record in true Dollywood fashion, with Emmylou Harris and Ronstadt chirping deliciously behind her. There are plenty of exceptions to this, as "Feels Like Home" is really Ronstadt's, and Harris treats "You'll Never Be the Sun" with crystal, bitter prayer-book reverence. Even contributing fiddles and pedal-steel guitars drop by to accompany Parton without a flaw. It isn't her fault her voice, as distinct as the rarest and loudest bird in a forest populated by rare and loud birds, outsculpts the tone and impact of any song she sings with others. She and the gals score a soaring version of the old Carter Family classic "Lover's Return" in a heartbreaking three-parter; the baffling choice to include a Parton-heavy Neil Young standard about the survival and solitude of the dope-drenched '60s, "After the Gold Rush," is, well, baffling. Parton changes his lyrics to say, "I felt like I could cry," instead of voicing the song's former urge to procure some mind-altering substances. In general, a gem along the beautiful lines of cubic zirconium, from the most well-intended and loving of real-deal songbird girlfriends. ~ Becky Byrkit Ever since Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt made their Grammy-winning TRIO album in 1987, fans have been clamoring for a sequel. It took twelve years to follow up with Trio II. Harris, Parton and Ronstadt--pop/country queens with three of the most angelic voices ever to grace the airwaves--have been singing together since 1975. Though each has her own distinctive sound, the three blend beautifully. The material is dizzyingly eclectic, encompassing the old-timey 1934 Carter Family song "Lover's Return," Neil Young's trippy "After the Gold Rush," Randy Newman's lovely "Feels Like Home" and the atmospheric pop of "Blue Train." Harris, Parton and Ronstadt divide up the leads on the tracks, each matching her voice to the material that suits it best. Highlights include the bluesy "I Feel the Blues Movin' In" (Parton), the melodic "High Sierra" (Ronstadt) and, surprisingly, "After the Gold Rush" (Parton), which is given an almost New Age feel. The instrumentation, featuring David Grisman's mandolin and Alison Krauss' fiddle, is tasteful and pristine, highlighting the real stars of the record--those three voices. Is Trio II really a country album? Not exactly. Was it worth the wait? Absolutely.

Rolling Stone (3/4/99, p.89) - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous....At its best, this mutual-admiration society works with a vengeance approaching the heavenly..." Entertainment Weekly (2/12/99, p.83) - "...Lacking the burnished, heirloom quality of TRIO, it's very fine nonetheless, zigzagging like its predecessor between old-time country...sleek country-pop ballads...and carefully wrought art pop..." - Rating: B+ Q (5/99, pp.106-107) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...once again there's a sepia-tinge to the proceedings with all three taking it in turns to sing lead...while Ronstadt sings perfectly and Parton displays characteristic pluck, once again Harris's hushed, grieving tones dominate..." Mojo (Publisher) (5/99, p.104) - "...the main accent being on a de luxe line in gorgeous harmonies. Support is leant by some of Music City's finest pickers..."

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