Album Review: "The Essential Dolly Parton" by Dolly Parton

I first came to know Dolly Parton after I had heard that the first ever cloned mammal, Dolly the sheep, was named after her (you should go check out why!). It was a few years after when I properly heard her and came to know that “I Will Always Love You” was not an original song by Whitney Houston, which prompted me to check out the original. That kickstarted my lifelong love for Dolly’s music. In the wake of her death, I sat down imbibing “The Essential Dolly Parton,” which was a greatest-hits collection of her music that came out in 2005. 

This collection would be a great refresher for anyone wanting to rediscover the magic of Dolly’s music. It’s also a great listen for any newcomers who may be intimidated by her massive discography (she has more than 65 albums!). Most of the songs chronologically span the peak period of her recording career, which was between 1967 and 1991.

It’s very difficult to distill the spirit of a six-decade career within 30 songs, but the collection does a decent job. Right from the start, you get a taste of her acerbic personality (“just because I’m blonde, don’t think I’m dumb / ’cause this dumb blonde ain’t nobody’s fool,” from “Dumb Blonde”). Those lyrical gems continue in the poignant “Just Because I’m a Woman,” and Dolly’s Tennessee roots get a feature in “Mule Skinner Blues”.

As with her musical evolution, listeners can hear Parton blossoming into her vocal powers with “Coat Of Many Colors” — a personal favorite, as not many songs can bring me as close to bawling my eyes out as this song — and “My Tennessee Mountain Home.” Songs like “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” need no review; these are touchstones in American music history. “The Seeker” and “All I Can Do” showcase massive development in her vocal chops. Much to my surprise, there is “We Used To,” which starts off with the guitar melody from “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin — apparently, Dolly was a big fan of the band. 

With the second disc, Dolly veers into more of the pop sounds of the late 70s and early 80s. Her voice sounds sharp and supple, as she croons through hits such as “Here You Come Again” and “Two Doors Down.” “Heartbreaker” is an emotional gut-wrencher, and so is “Old Flames.” I cannot help but smile and groove to “9 to 5” whenever I hear it. I did not know that the massive hit “Islands In the Stream,” featuring Kenny Rogers, was written by the Bee Gees. “To Know Him Is to Love Him” is another gem, with it being a collaboration with icons Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris. The set ends with “Shine,” which is a bluegrass cover of the song by Collective Soul.

Overall, this collection, aside from being an engaging listen, is a testament to Dolly’s chameleonic sensibilities to hop between genres and sounds. Her personality shined through whatever she recorded. It’s no shock that Dolly has been influential for a range of artists and genres, and for that alone, Dolly Parton deserves to be as revered as she is. The world has lost an icon who could make people believe in the unifying power of music. Rest in peace, Dolly.