DOLLY PARTON
Those Were The Days
Sugar Hill
· Guys and dolls – pulling the covers over everyone’s eyes.
The best thing about Dolly Parton (besides being a style maven and having a fantastic sense of humour and extraordinary songwriting ability) is the fact that she is determined not to dry up like some sad, cartoon version of herself. Parton perseveres, through all the trends and criticisms, and is constantly putting a new slant on her old shtick.
She has a knack for picking cover songs that match her voice (which has stayed ageless, just like her), and as anyone who has heard her live rendition of "Stairway to Heaven" can attest, Parton can add her countrified twist to just about anything and own a song like no one else.
On Those Were The Days, an album made up entirely of cover songs, Parton shares the limelight with some special guests – the original songwriters, offering up some of the best collaborations of her career (sorry Kenny – at least you still have those chicken shacks, right?) Parton and Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) do a tender version of "Where Do The Children Play," while Kris Kristofferson dusts himself off for "Me and Bobby MeGee," one of the best songs on the record.
Her covers of "Crimson and Clover" and "If I were a Carpenter" are perfection, but the best part about the compilation is that you get an inside look into Parton’s personal record collection and the songs that turn her crank. You can hear the joy in her voice when she belts out these tunes and that is the real magic. She’s always authentic, even when she’s singing someone else’s songs.
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