Dolly Parton - Original Album Classics (2008) [5CD]

CD1 - Just Because I'm A Woman (1968)
CD2 - Coat of Many Colors (1971)
CD3 - My Tennessee Mountain Home (1973)
CD4 - Jolene (1974)
CD5 - 9 To 5 and Odd Jobs (1980)






AMG review by Mark Deming:

Just Because I'm a Woman was Dolly Parton's first album for RCA Victor after a few modest hits for Monument and (more importantly) becoming a regular on Porter Wagoner's television show and his frequent duet partner both on-stage and in the studio. One might have figured that, between Chet Atkins' trademark "countrypolitan" production style and Wagoner's influence, Parton's musical personality would be lost in the shuffle, but thankfully quite the opposite was true – Just Because I'm a Woman turned out to be one of Parton's best early albums, and a superb showcase for her gifts as both a singer and songwriter. Bob Ferguson, Atkins' second-in-command at RCA, took a subdued and natural approach to the production, with a refined but organic honky tonk sound dominating many of the arrangements, though he knew when to take a more ambitious approach on the dark tale of adultery and abandonment "The Bridge." And while Dolly only gets songwriting credit on four of the album's 12 songs, they're four of the real standouts, including "You're Gonna Be Sorry," "The Bridge," and the title tune, with the rest of the selections fitting Parton's trademark blend of fragility and strength just right, and her versatile soprano voice displaying the confidence, power, and emotional range that would make her a country superstar within a few years. While Parton was not always well-served by the Nashville music factories (ironically enough, this became an even bigger problem for her after she crossed over to mainstream stardom), Just Because I'm a Woman was one of those rare examples of the bigwigs getting it right the first time out, and the album still sounds like a winner decades after its initial release. (4.5/5)

Tracklist:
01 You're Gonna Be Sorry (02:15)
02 I Wish I Felt This Way at Home (02:29)
03 False Eyelashes (02:31)
04 I'll Oilwells Love You (02:16)
05 The Only Way Out (Is to Walk Over Me) (02:56)
06 Little Bit Slow to Catch On (02:19)
07 The Bridge (02:35)
08 Love and Learn (02:34)
09 I'm Running Out of Love (02:06)
10 Just Because I'm a Woman (03:05)
11 Baby Sister (02:39)
12 Try Being Lonely (02:47)
13 Just Because I'm a Woman (03:25) (live, bonus track)
14 Coat of Many Colors (03:20) (live, bonus track)







AMG review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine:

Dolly Parton had a number of hits in the late '60s as Porter Wagoner's duet partner, yet solo success eluded her until her 1971 album Coat of Many Colors. The title track was a Top Ten single, and it effectively became her signature song, largely because it was a sweetly autobiographical tune about her childhood. That song, along with its two hit predecessors, "Traveling Man" and "My Blue Tears," were evidence that Parton was a strong songwriter, but the full album reveals the true depth of her talents. She wrote seven of the ten songs (Wagoner wrote the other three), none of which is filler. There isn't really a theme behind Coat of Many Colors, even if its title track suggests otherwise. Instead, it's a remarkably consistent album, in terms of songwriting and performances, but also remarkably diverse, revealing that Dolly can handle ballads, country-rockers, tearjerkers, and country-pop with equal aplomb. And while it is very short, clocking in at under a half-hour, there isn't a wasted moment on the album. It's a lean, trim album that impresses because of succinctness – with its ten songs, it announced Parton as a major talent in her own right, not merely a duet partner. (5/5)

Tracklist:
01 Coat of Many Colors (03:06)
02 Traveling Man (02:41)
03 My Blue Tears (02:18)
04 If I Lose My Mind (02:32)
05 The Mystery of the Mystery (02:29)
06 She Never Met a Man (She Didn't Like) (02:44)
07 Early Morning Breeze (02:56)
08 The Way I See You (02:48)
09 Here I Am (03:21)
10 A Better Place to Live (02:46)
11 My Heart Started Breaking (03:05) (bonus track)
12 Just as Good as Gone (02:30) (bonus track)
13 The Tender Touch of Love (02:28) (bonus track)
14 My Blue Tears (acoustic demo) (02:25) (bonus track)







AMG review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine:

My Tennessee Mountain Home is one of the rootsiest records of Dolly Parton's career. With its affectionate homages and salutes to her childhood in Tennessee, the record is a direct and moving slice of mountain music that isn't dressed up in cosmopolitan production. Parton wrote every song on the record, creating a loose, musical autobiography with its 11 songs. Though the sound of the record isn't particularly rowdy, it is heartfelt and rootsy and Parton's songs – "Old Black Kettle," "The Letter," "The Good Old Days When Times Were Bad," and "The Better Part of Life" – are among her best, most affecting songs, much like My Tennessee Mountain Home itself. (3/5)

Tracklist:
01 The Letter (02:08)
02 I Remember (03:44)
03 Old Black Kettle (02:34)
04 Daddy's Working Boots (02:57)
05 Dr. Robert F. Thomas (02:38)
06 In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad) (03:30)
07 My Tennessee Mountain Home (03:10)
08 The Wrong Direction Home (02:31)
09 Back Home (02:45)
10 The Better Part of Life (03:15)
11 Down on Music Row (02:59)
12 Sacred Memories (02:43) (bonus track)







AMG review by Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr:

Of the three 2007 Dolly Parton reissues from Sony, Jolene is the most absorbing musically and the most problematic lyrically. A sparkling production creates a rich backdrop for both "Jolene" and "When Someone Wants to Leave" (both Parton originals), mixing acoustic guitar, country instruments (steel guitar, dobro), and light percussion. This tasteful mix, nicely spread across the stereo spectrum with Parton front and center, is a joy to listen to. Lyrically, however, these songs are a long way from Loretta Lynn's "You Ain't Woman Enough to Take My Man." Parton's female protagonists are downright pitiful, adrift in a world where a more attractive woman might take their man, where a woman cannot let go of a man who no longer loves her, and where a man is the "highlight" of her life ("Highlight of My Life.") Jolene, originally released in 1974, feels like a shot across the bow of the feminist movement, a reaffirmation that many women still liked the men to wear the pants (women, presumably, who listened to old-fashioned country music). This seems somewhat peculiar now, in that no one – looking at her long, distinguished career and commanding stage presence – would accuse Parton of being a weak-kneed songbird. Still, the music and Parton's vocal prowess are in top form on Jolene, and "I Will Always Love You" is one of her best performances (which is saying a lot). Like it or loath it, Jolene offers a fascinating snapshot of an era in transition, and captures Parton at the top of her game. (3.5/5)

Tracklist:
01 Jolene (02:42)
02 When Someone Wants to Leave (02:08)
03 River of Happiness (02:21)
04 Early Morning Breeze (02:47)
05 Highlight of My Life (02:19)
06 I Will Always Love You (02:58)
07 Randy (01:53)
08 Living on Memories of You (02:47)
09 Lonely Comin' Down (03:17)
10 It Must Be You (01:56)
11 Cracker Jack (03:14) (bonus track)
12 Another Woman's Man (03:00) (bonus track)
13 Barbara on Your Mind (03:14) (bonus track)
14 Last Night's Lovin' (02:26) (bonus track)







AMG review by William Ruhlmann:

Dolly Parton has never been an albums artist, and RCA has always been adept at shoving poorly organized products onto the market (look how they've treated Elvis Presley). Hence, though she is an important country figure, most of Parton's albums are hard to recommend. This one contains the title hit, plus a few other Parton originals and a version of Woody Guthrie's "Deportee" among its eight tracks. But that's enough to put it a notch above most of Parton's RCA catalog. (4.5/5)

Tracklist:
01 9 to 5 (02:44)
02 Hush-a-bye Hard Times (03:49)
03 The House of the Rising Sun (04:02)
04 Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos) (04:41)
05 Sing for the Common Man (03:47)
06 Working Girl (03:17)
07 Detroit City (03:35)
08 But You Know I Love You (03:18)
09 Dark as a Dungeon (03:26)
10 Poor Folks Town (02:57)