Ultimate Dolly Parton [1-CD]

Performer: Dolly Parton
Artist: Ricky Van Shelton; Linda Ronstadt; Emmylou Harris; Kenny Rogers; Porter Wagoner
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: Personnel includes: Dolly Parton (vocals, guitar); Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Kenny Rogers, Porter Wagoner (vocals). Producers include: Dolly Parton, Bob Ferguson, Gary Klein, Ricky Skaggs, Gregg Perry. Compilation producer: Al Quaglieri. Recorded between 1970 & 1988. Includes liner notes by Holly George-Warren. Includes liner notes by Holly George-Warren. Liner Note Author: Holly George-Warren. Recording information: 1970-1988. Photographer: Kristin Barlowe. Arrangers: Nick DeCaro; Gregg Perry. Dolly Parton has had countless collections, including many billed as either "definitive" or "ultimate," which is the billing given BMG Heritage's 2003 release. Running 20 tracks over the course of a single disc, this Ultimate Dolly Parton keeps its focus on the big hits, including a large stretch of hits from the late '70s and early '80s, including "Here You Come Again," "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right," "Heartbreaker," "9 to 5," and "Islands in the Stream." In addition to this, there are a couple of latter-day tracks, her Trio recording of "To Know Him Is to Love Him" and early hits "Joshua," "Coat of Many Colors," "I Will Always Love You," and "Jolene." So, in short, it's her most familiar material on one disc, something that has certainly been done before in her catalog, but it's done particularly well here. As a roundup of her hits, it works very well and it's also a good introduction, although listeners who are interested in her purer country and more ambitious music are advised to pick up Raven's superb Mission Chapel Memories: 1971-1975 instead. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine There have been many, many Dolly Parton compilations over the years, but RCA/Legacy's 2005 set The Essential Dolly Parton is one of the handful that gets it right. Spanning two discs and 37 tracks, this set covers her entire career, from her 1967 debut, Hello, I'm Dolly, to her 2001 bluegrass comeback album, Little Sparrow, but the bulk of this set concentrates on her hitmaking years for RCA in the '70s and '80s. Since Dolly had so many hits, not all of them can be included even on a double-disc collection, but this does a tremendous job of picking the biggest and the best of them. Roughly, the first disc covers her first decade of recording, including a healthy dose of her inventive country-folk material from the early '70s, while the second disc covers her slicker crossover hits from the '80s. Dividing her material in this fashion makes each disc consistent within itself, and helps make this a more listenable set than such similar career-spanning collections as 1993's The RCA Years. While Raven's excellent Mission Chapel Memories: 1971-1975 documents her most creative period more effectively, this tells the story of her entire career, and it's the best of its kind of compilation yet assembled. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Though various record labels have released several dozen Dolly Parton greatest-hits and "best of" compilations over the years, few have attempted to effectively encapsulate the artist's enviably long and incredibly varied career in a single disc. THE ULTIMATE DOLLY PARTON goes a long way towards filling this void by collecting choice cuts from nearly every era and musical phase of Dolly's tenure. Beginning with stone-cold country classics like "Coat Of Many Colors" and "Please Don't Stop Loving Me" and proceeding through crossover smashes such as "9 To 5" and "Islands In The Stream," the collection will give the uninitiated more than enough prime Parton to dispel any inkling that the singer is all flash. On the contrary, her uncanny pop sensibility, heartstring-pulling, warbling soprano, and emotional directness are apparent in every single note on this disc, and anyone curious about why Dolly Parton is a cultural icon of the highest order would do well to start here. One of the most successful and versatile artists in country music, Dolly Parton is a true icon of the genre. With a recording career spanning more than four decades, Parton epitomized country, while always venturing into other territories, including pop and bluegrass. Columbia/Legacy's THE ESSENTIAL DOLLY PARTON (not to be confused with other similarly titled compilations) begins with the striking performer flaunting her charmingly assertive nature with 1966's rollicking "Dumb Blonde," and proceeds in chronological fashion through Parton's slew of '70s hits, including the gentle, folk-like "Coat of Many Colors" and the gorgeous 1974 version of "I Will Always Love You." (The latter two songs, like many on this collection, were written by Parton herself.) Parton's hits from the late '70s, '80s, and beyond continue on the second disc. Runaway '80s hits "9 to 5" (from the titular film starring Parton) and "Islands in the Stream" (her Bees Gees-penned duet with Kenny Rogers) represent her commercial peak, but the remaining latter-day songs reveal that Parton's talents--particularly her distinctive high, clear voice--were still going strong into the 2000s (most notably on her bluegrass rendition of Collective Soul's rock hit, "Shine"). For those looking for the best overview of Parton's career, this 37-track set is it. Dolly Parton has had countless collections, including many billed as either "definitive" or "ultimate," which is the billing given BMG Heritage's 2003 release. Running 20 tracks over the course of a single disc, this Ultimate Dolly Parton keeps its focus on the big hits, including a large stretch of hits from the late '70s and early '80s, including "Here You Come Again," "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right," "Heartbreaker," "9 to 5," and "Islands in the Stream." In addition to this, there are a couple of latter-day tracks, her Trio recording of "To Know Him Is to Love Him" and early hits "Joshua," "Coat of Many Colors," "I Will Always Love You," and "Jolene." So, in short, it's her most familiar material on one disc, something that has certainly been done before in her catalog, but it's done particularly well here. As a roundup of her hits, it works very well and it's also a good introduction, although listeners who are interested in her purer country and more ambitious music are advised to pick up Raven's superb Mission Chapel Memories: 1971-1975 instead. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Q (10/03, p.128) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...[The album] showcases a musical talent that puts Dolly Parton in a league of her own..."

Best known as one of the most beloved singers in country music, Dolly Parton is also a successful screen actress. Her greatest talent, songwriting, may also be her least heralded: Parton has penned numerous classics, among them "Coat of Many Colors," "Kentucky Gambler," "9 to 5," and "I Will Always Love You." Her first hits came in the 1960s via her duets with Porter Wagoner, but on her own she skyrocketed to fame with an angelic voice, potent songs, and a style that distinctively mixed folk, country, pop, and bluegrass.

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