“Best of Dolly Parton” by Dolly Parton

When it comes to country music, I am much more a fan of Johnny Cash and those old songs about shooting a sheriff with his own gun or some folktale ballad. However, we cannot forget about one of the nicest women in music, Dolly Parton. The “Backwoods Barbie” has done everything from music and movies to having an amusement park. While she has an extensive discography, I’ll be looking at her compilation album released in 1975, “Best of Dolly Parton.” 

Opening with her most famous song “Jolene,” this beautiful song is about a woman confronting the woman she thinks is trying to steal her man and how worrying it can be to love someone. This song got some major publicity these past couple years with the adaptation of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, where the lead protagonist is named after this song even with her name sometimes being said in the same way the song does. 

Next is “Traveling Man.” This is a more upbeat energetic song about trying to sneak away with the man she loves but with a twist I wasn’t expecting. Then, it’s “Lonely Coming Down” dials the energy down to a more sincere level. This one has some excellent vocals and is about the gravity that is felt when a relationship with someone you truly love is over. 

Next comes “The Bargain Store,” a soft, sweet song about how hard it can be to come out of a long-term relationship and find someone new while still having feelings for the past. After that is “Touch Your Woman.” Despite the suggestive name, this song is actually focused on reconciliation in a relationship. It talks about how a woman needs her man to be there for her and vice versa, how they both can clash but come together and hold each other up during hard times. 

This next one came as a shock to me. While “I Will Always Love You” is commonly associated with Whitney Houston, Dolly Parton wrote and performed the original song. Parton’s version lets her show her voice and has this fresh heartbroken feel to it, while Houston’s version feels like coming to terms with what happened. Then there’s “Love Is Like A Butterfly,” a soft song describing the feelings she has for her man and how she feels butterflies around him. 

Next is “Coat of Many Colors,” a song about how money does not equal true wealth and that it is the mentality and thoughts that someone has that makes someone poor. I like how it is referencing the Biblical story of the coat of many colors, which is a great story of humility like the song had but also forgiveness. 

Next comes “My Tennessee Mountain Home.” Dolly describes how peaceful and happy her life was as a kid back in Tennessee. Lastly, there’s “When I Sing for Him,” a song all about how she feels in touch with God by singing for him or giving him praise and how she looks forward to when she gets to sing in front of God with the angels. 

Overall, this album has some great songs, and each has its own notable qualities, so it’ll be hard to pick just a few for top picks. Top picks are “Jolene,” it’s a classic and a JoJo reference, “The Bargain Store,” “I Will Always Love You,” and “Coat of Many Colors.”