Dolly
Parton is an artist I would have actively avoided until relatively recently.
Her biggest hits did not endear her to me, and I am not a huge Country fan. I
then discovered that she has been hugely important in improving childhood
literacy through her library programme, which has been transformative for tens
of thousands of young people in poverty in the US, and she massively grew on
me.
Coat of
Many Colours was the eighth Dolly Parton studio album, but the first to
catapult her to solo success, having previously 'merely' been Porter Wagoner's
duet partner. She had written seven of the ten tracks, and demonstrated her
talents with the variety of styles inherent within the 27 minute running time.
The title track, and third single, off the album would reach number 4 on the US
charts, and became something of an anthem for Dolly, describing her childhood as it did.
The
opener is emotionally autobiographical from the singer, who grew up in
such poverty that she didn't have shoes until she was 12 years old. It is
clearly a heartfelt song, and conveys a real sense of both Parton's struggles
as a child and her strong, Christian-derived moral compass. Travelling Man is a cracking piece of storytelling with a pretty
sharp, and genuinely funny, twist at the end - it's almost Dylan-esque in its
nature. My Blue Tears is a bit too mawkish and identikit Country and Western
for my tastes, whereas If I Lose My Mind has a darker edge to it. The talk of
making "me watch him love another woman, and trying to make me love
another man" indicates a deeply troubling situation, and Parton's voice
shows how fragile she is. The Mystery of the Mystery is a pretty naff song,
with frankly trite lyrics. She Never Met a Man She Didn't Like is a pretty
early example of slut-shaming, but is at least done with a delicate and
well-observed touch. Early Morning Breeze is pretty forgettable, although it
does show Parton's voice at its most delicately powerful. The Way I See You is
a quietly determined song, with some truly heartfelt lyrics. Here I Am has one
of the best choruses on the album, and show how broad and powerful a country
song can be when the instruments all come together. A Better Place to Live is
an optimistic, possibly naive, yearning for making the world a happier, more
peaceful place. It is long on ideals and short on practical guidance, but then
it is a pop song, and not a manual, so I should probably be more forgiving.
The album is a whole
is very hit and miss, with some well-considered songs alongside some utterly
non-descript background tunes that seem to add nothing. I was pleasantly
surprised by the good tracks and the well thought out narrative structure
within many of them. There was also a bit more variety in the tracks than I
would have anticipated, and a good deal more humour too. Overall I was fairly
impressed, but can't imagine coming back to it too often as it isn't really a
genre I'm overly drawn to, hence the slightly lower score.
Chloe's
album rating: 6
Chloe's
favourite track: 1. Coat of Many Colours
Olly's
album rating: 6
Olly's
favourite track: 1. Coat of Many Colours
Next week
is the delicious-sounding 70. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme by Simon and
Garfunkel.
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