Halos & Horns is the thirty-ninth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on July 9, 2002, by Sugar Hill Records and Blue Eye Records. It is the third album in Parton's critically acclaimed bluegrass trilogy, continuing her experimentation with folk and bluegrass sounds. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Country Album in 2003, while "Dagger Through the Heart" and "I'm Gone" were both nominated for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 2003 and 2004, respectively. Parton embarked on her first tour in 10 years in support of the album. The sold-out Halos & Horns Tour played 25 shows throughout the United States and the United Kingdom. The album tracks "These Old Bones" and "Sugar Hill" were adapted into episodes of Dolly Parton's Heartstrings in 2019.
Background
Following the release of her 2001 album, Little Sparrow, Parton continued to write. While writing songs at her Tennessee Mountain Home, Parton said the songs were pouring out of her by the dozens. A representative from Sugar Hill Records confirmed in late January 2002 that Parton was "writing and arranging" songs for a new album, but recording had not begun so it was unclear when the album might be released. It was confirmed in February 2002 by Dollymania that Parton had begun recording the album and that it should be released in summer 2002. Eager to begin recording the songs she had written, Parton booked a session in Knoxville, initially as a demo session. "I didn't intend to produce a record," Parton said. "I was just producing these song demos. But it started sounding so good that I was getting really excited." Parton further described the recording process by saying, "I decided I wanted to use everybody from 'up home,' or at least fresh people. There was nothing heavy or hard about it. I just went in with the pickers and we all kicked ideas around. That's how you produce great records anyway—let talented people do what they do. It's fairly 'live,' because I'm not the kind of singer who can start and stop and go back and get the same feeling. I just had a big time doing this."
Content
Twelve of the album's fourteen tracks are Parton-penned originals. In addition to these twelve songs, the album features two covers: Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" and 'Bread's "If". The album also includes new versions of two songs Parton had previously recorded. Parton first recorded "Shattered Image" for her 1976 album, All I Can Do. "What a Heartache" had originally been recorded in 1984 for the Rhinestone soundtrack album. Parton would record this song for a second time in 1991 for her Eagle When She Flies album. When asked why she would choose to re-record songs she has done before, Parton said, "I have very strong feelings about them. They've never really had a chance to be all that they can be. I have hundreds of new songs, but there are some that 'want to be done' until I find the right way."