Dolly Parton Albums (52)
What The Critics Say
Ever since signing with Sugar Hill in 1999, Dolly Parton has been on a hot streak, putting out a steady stream of rootsy albums that found her creatively re-energized. It all started with the all-bluegrass Grass Is Blue, which won a Grammy in 2000, and she worked a similar territory on the subsequent Little Sparrow (2001) and started to branch out a bit with Halos & Horns (2002), which remained in the acoustic realm but wasn't as strictly bluegrass. Now, with Those Were the Days, she breaks free of bluegrass in the strictest sense by recording an album of her favorite songs from the '60s and '70s. While this isn't traditional bluegrass by any means, it's still rootsy acoustic music, due to both the instrumentation and choice of songs, which are, with the exceptions of Tommy James' "Crimson and Clover" and John Lennon's "Imagine," firmly within the folk and folk-rock tradition of the '60s. Parton has also styled Those Were the Days as a duet album, inviting the original singers or songwriters when they were available, and bringing in newer singers when they were not (like Nickel Creek providing harmonies on Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind," Norah Jones and Lee Ann Womack for "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," and Keith Urban for "Twelfth of Never"). The arrangements are at once tasteful, imaginative, and relatively unsurprising -- there are no left hooks, no electric sitars, or wah-wah guitars (although there is the trademark electric guitar tremolo on "Crimson and Clover"), just vivid, successful, slight reworkings of familiar songs that make them sound fresh again. Since Parton has been making strong acoustic records for six years now, this doesn't have the same impact as Grass Is Blue, but that doesn't mean that Those Were the Days is a bad record. Far from it, actually -- it's yet another very good album, one with no weak spots, from a revitalized Dolly Parton, who has turned into one of the more reliable country music veterans of the 2000s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Released simultaneously on CD and DVD (both feature the same program), Dolly Parton's 2002 tour, her first in a decade, is captured for posterity for the majority of her fans who couldn't make it to one of the only 13 shows she did. Riding high from a well-received trilogy of late-'90s/early-'00 albums that found the singer/songwriter reinvigorated both artistically and commercially by a return to her hillbilly origins, the show is an especially exuberant performance. Backed by a predominantly acoustic group only identified as Gary Davis and the Blueniques (individual members are anonymous), Parton runs through two hours of faithfully reproduced but agreeably stripped down, bluegrassy versions of hits such as "Jolene," "Coat of Many Colors" and "9 to 5" with a healthy dose of more recent rootsy fare. Dolly is in fine fettle throughout, chatting with the rapturous audience, making jokes and generally hamming it up with her good-natured but obviously rehearsed between-song patter. While some of this is fine and captures the joyous mood, more judicious pruning would make this a better listening experience, especially after the first time around when the jokes and asides are no longer fresh. Having to endure hearing the audience stumble through a "9 to 5" singalong is no fun and should have been cut from the running time. Ditto for a quick run-through of songs that didn't make it, which was probably amusing at the time but not something you'd want to relive. A sprightly a cappella medley of once-slick hits, a terrific version of Collective Soul's "Shine," and an ebullient set closing cover of Zepp's "Stairway to Heaven" -- all of which tap into Parton's spiritual and gospel roots -- best show her and the band's talents. Although this effectively documents the gig and the star's irrepressible personality, better editing could have reduced the album to a stunning single disc instead of a bloated and occasionally inconsistent double. ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide
'Eagle When She Flies'
Release Date 10/6/2003
Tracks 11
Label Sony Special Products
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
She confirms that she's fully returned to the country fold, and is rewarded with her first million-selling album that wasn't a greatest-hits package. The title song is a powerful female anthem. ~ Michael McCall, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
More angelic than devilish, Halos & Horns, the third in a series of back-to-the-roots styled acoustic albums the legendary country singer recorded for Sugar Hill label, again boasts superior musicianship and a loose but not necessarily low-key style. A mix of new songs, rerecorded obscurities Parton felt deserved another chance ("What a Heartache" got lost on the soundtrack to Rhinestone, "Shattered Image" is a little-known gem from 1976's All I Can Do album, and an unrecorded oldie "John Daniel" goes back nearly 35 years), and high-profile covers of Bread's "If" and Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" find the singer/songwriter is in excellent voice and exuberant spirits. Some of the new compositions, such as the ballad "If Only" (written for a movie about Mae West Parton was making when recording this album, but deemed too sad for the soundtrack) and the stirring "Raven Dove," with a full gospel backing, are nearly the equal of the singer's best work. The jaunty tempo but sorrowful lyrics of "Dagger Through the Heart" is classic bluegrass complete with banjo and fiddle and an example of Parton at her finest. Not everything works; "These Old Bones," a winding story-song marred by Parton taking the voice of an old woman on the chorus, is sappy if well intentioned, and her version of "If" remains a bit smarmy, even torn down to its acoustic roots. But her take on an album-closing "Stairway to Heaven" (given the thumbs up from no lesser experts than Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, who had to approve Parton's slightly altered lyrics) smartly and successfully refashions the song's dense themes into a contemporary gospel ode which retains the mystery of the original even as it is rearranged for this project's folk/bluegrass direction. Stirring, unpretentious yet powerful, Halos & Horns effectively continues Parton's glorifying of her mountain roots. She subsequently launched her first tour in a decade after this disc's 2002 release. ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Though Dolly Parton had been exploring her musical roots to various degrees throughout the last half of the '90s, her true return to form didn't occur until the release of the Grammy-winning The Grass Is Blue, and its 2001 follow-up, Little Sparrow. Critics and fans alike agreed that the latter record was easily among the best Parton had ever recorded, and that was certainly saying something. One of the leading tracks on Little Sparrow was its love-wary title track, which kicked off an album that was filled with enough heartache-related songs to cover three separate country records. Parton's lyrics use the familiar folk metaphor of symbolizing a bird as freedom and rebirth, and she looks to it wishing to escape a world that has crumbled due to a insincere lover. She grippingly moans, "Little sparrow, flies so high, feels no pain," while fantasizing, "If I were a little sparrow, oe'r these mountains I would fly/I would find him, I would find him/look into his lying eye." Besides simple escape, Parton also wants justification for her sorrow, singing "I would flutter all around him...I would ask him/why he let me love him then." By the end of the song, however, she realizes she is merely a victim of an "evil cunning scheme," leaving no other lesson to pass on to her "maidens fair and tender" other than "never trust the hearts of men, for they will crush you like a sparrow." By this time, Parton has realized that even the sparrow is a victim of man's evil, and it is only free until it meets up with a man, who will casually destroy it. It's an ingenious metaphor that, along with a slow, aching melody, and a flawless production and performance, helps round out what is truly one of the best songs Dolly Parton has written in years. ~ Barry Weber, All Music Guide
'The Grass Is Blue'
Release Date 10/26/1999
Tracks 13
Label Sugar Hill
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
It was inevitable, especially considering her recent albums, that Dolly Parton would eventually go all the way back to the mountains with a bluegrass project. A child of the southern Appalachians, Parton would have absorbed this music straight through her skin during her formative years. And, indeed, her performance on this CD is impeccable, as is her choice of material. Producer Steve Buckingham has taken care to bring together a group of accomplished bluegrassers to accompany Parton. Alison Krauss, Stuart Duncan, Dan Tyminski, Jerry Douglas, Rhonda Vincent, and Bryan Sutton are major contributors, as is Patty Loveless. Parton wrote two songs for the CD -- the title tune and "Endless Stream of Tears" -- and she also reworked two of her previously recorded numbers, "Will He Be Waiting for Me" and "Steady As the Rain" as bluegrass pieces. She convinced her producer that Billy Joel's "Travelin' Prayer" and Blackfoot's hard-rocking "Train, Train" could work as bluegrass songs and, sure enough, they do. She also reached into the traditional folk repertoire and crafted a beautiful, haunting version of "Silver Dagger." Parton shows a terrific knack for this genre and, as always, her approach is a bit eccentric, but that's one of her gifts as a musician. She's always followed her own muse; this time it has led her to a singular interpretation of bluegrass that is one of the important bluegrass releases of 1999. ~ Philip Van Vleck, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Dolly Parton has long held her place in country music with a style of class and dignity. A tangible physical presence, her songwriting and singing sometimes tend to be pushed into the shadows. But, even after all these years, Parton is still hip-deep in the game and a player of the highest caliber. This release, her first for the resurrected Decca label, is a powerful trip into the foundation of Parton's music. From gospel to honky tonk to mountain music, she paints exquisite landscapes of intense color and emotion. A pioneer, she asks, "Why don't more women sing honky tonk songs" in "Honky Tonk Songs," a worthy question considering all the glib pop tunes the majority of women in modern country try to pass off as country music. But Parton, who can top the pops with the best of 'em, still remains firmly grounded in tradition, as evidenced by "The Camel's Heart," a tune with the wild emotional strength of her legendary hit "Jolene." Always the center of fun and delight, Parton gives her listeners a fast banjo ride on the up-tempo "Time and Tears." "Paradise Road" explores poverty and the transcendence of such a state while providing inspiration and hope. As beautiful as anything she has ever written is "Blue Valley Songbird," an autobiography of sorts. And she ends things with a gospel singalong that flies high. Throughout, Parton is joined by the equally talented and traditional Rhonda Vincent on backing vocals, adding a nice layering to the vocal tracks. Hungry Again is a timely, heartwarming project that displays all of the many aspects and facets of Parton's talent. She is endearing and respected, and she can still roll right over most anyone who gets in her way with a single note. ~ Jana Pendragon, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
If the listener senses déjà vu, it's only the idea they've heard before. Parton tried an album of covers called The Great Pretender in 1983 or so; those pop arrangements of "Downtown" and "Save the Last Dance for Me" did very well on the country charts, but flopped on the pop charts. For this go-round, Parton has compiled mostly country chestnuts. Parton's voice is sweet, often sinewy. These arrangements are clean and for the most part faithful to the original arrangements. None other than die-hard Parton fans will find real excitement in Charlie Rich's "Behind Closed Doors," Merle Haggard's "Today I Started Loving You Again," Freddy Fender's "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" (although there's a nice Spanish sequence with David Hidalgo sharing vocals), and Ray Price's "For the Good Times." Otherwise, Parton does a swell job of jazzing up one of Mac Davis' least-memorable hits, "Something's Burning." She gives it an anxious, almost rock flavor which brings the song to life. With viola accompaniment and harmony vocals from Alison Krauss, Parton's take on Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush" foretells the Rapture in beautiful poetry. A true surprise, Parton transformed Katrina & the Waves' new wave hit "Walking on Sunshine" into a country swing tune, complete with fiddle solo. Two of the least-familiar songs are also two of the best. "Don't Let Me Cross Over," a woman's angst over the temptation to steal another woman's man, and "Satin Sheets," about a woman who's grown tired of her wealthy husband's lack of affection, are delicious, pure country ballads. Perhaps the album's centerpiece is Cat Stevens' joyous "Peace Train." Backed by South Africa's Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Parton never sounded more exhilarated than when she and the ensemble sang the "ooh-wah-ee-ah-ooh-ah" line. As always, there was fine frilly cover art on Parton, which might find Mambazo singing "ooh-la-la." ~ Bill Carpenter, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Something Special is something of a mixed bag from Dolly Parton, featuring a selection of new songs and re-recorded old material. While the newer songs are fine, they pale in comparison with classics like "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You," recorded as a duet with Vince Gill. If the new songs had been included on an album that only featured new material, they would have formed a strong record, but they take a back seat to Parton's older songs, which are more inspired and better-written. Nevertheless, the album provides several fine moments, even it doesn't rank among her best works. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
