Dolly Parton- The Great Pretender
July 26th 2009 04:24
Dolly Parton- The Great Pretender
Record Label: RCA
Year: 1983
Track Listing:
01. Save The Last Dance For Me
02. I Walk The Line
03. Turn! Turn! Turn
04. Downtown
05. Elusive Butterfly
06. She Don’t Love You Like I Love You
07. We’ll Sing In The Sunshine
08. I Can’t Help Myself
09. We Had It All
10. Great Pretender
Dolly Parton is considered the Queen of Country, not just as a singer but also as a songwriter. She had penned more than a few of her own hits, as well as some major hits for others (Including ‘I Will Always Love You’, which was a mega-hit for Whitney Houston). With so many songs of her own under her belt, one might wonder why she would choose to do an album of covers.
This is a path she has taken more than once before, most recently with 2005’s Those Were The Days, and it’s one that has mixed reactions. While songs like ‘Save The Last Dance For Me’ and ‘Downtown’ (both hit singles off this album) are shining examples of her extraordinary talent of making songs her own others such as ‘I Walk The Line’ are sadly not.
Maybe I’m being a little harsh where ‘I Walk The Line’ is considered, as it is my strong belief that no one should attempt to channel the man in Black, but there’s just something that doesn’t feel right about the song. The song is about an inner strength, and instead of listening and hearing the steeliness toughness Johnny Cash was renown for, Parton’s version fails to do the same. Not that she doesn’t try to add some steel, but Cash is hard to pull off for anyone and while kudos goes out to her for attempting to, this is one song she should have left alone.
However, as acknowledged Parton shines on ‘Save The Last Dance For Me’, which doesn’t differentiate much from the original except with faster beats and almost a pop feel (If you can ignore the twang in Parton’s voice). Not really a surprise that this was a top ten single for her in 1984 and the same can be said for ‘Downtown’, which has always been one of my favourite songs (Originally by Petula Clark).
Other songs such as Turn! Turn! Turn (The Byrds) and ‘We Had It All’ are great attempts but don’t always hit the spot while ‘The Great Pretender’, and ‘I Can’t Help Myself’ see Parton make the songs her own in shining example.
This isn’t probably Parton’s best album. If you’re looking for some stellar Dolly Parton, then steer clear of this and listen to some of her originals. However, if you’re a Parton fan, then this is one that should already be in your collection.
A solid effort, even if Parton stumbles at times.
I give it 3/5
Record Label: RCA
Year: 1983
Track Listing:
01. Save The Last Dance For Me
02. I Walk The Line
03. Turn! Turn! Turn
04. Downtown
05. Elusive Butterfly
06. She Don’t Love You Like I Love You
07. We’ll Sing In The Sunshine
08. I Can’t Help Myself
09. We Had It All
10. Great Pretender
Dolly Parton is considered the Queen of Country, not just as a singer but also as a songwriter. She had penned more than a few of her own hits, as well as some major hits for others (Including ‘I Will Always Love You’, which was a mega-hit for Whitney Houston). With so many songs of her own under her belt, one might wonder why she would choose to do an album of covers.
This is a path she has taken more than once before, most recently with 2005’s Those Were The Days, and it’s one that has mixed reactions. While songs like ‘Save The Last Dance For Me’ and ‘Downtown’ (both hit singles off this album) are shining examples of her extraordinary talent of making songs her own others such as ‘I Walk The Line’ are sadly not.
Maybe I’m being a little harsh where ‘I Walk The Line’ is considered, as it is my strong belief that no one should attempt to channel the man in Black, but there’s just something that doesn’t feel right about the song. The song is about an inner strength, and instead of listening and hearing the steeliness toughness Johnny Cash was renown for, Parton’s version fails to do the same. Not that she doesn’t try to add some steel, but Cash is hard to pull off for anyone and while kudos goes out to her for attempting to, this is one song she should have left alone.
However, as acknowledged Parton shines on ‘Save The Last Dance For Me’, which doesn’t differentiate much from the original except with faster beats and almost a pop feel (If you can ignore the twang in Parton’s voice). Not really a surprise that this was a top ten single for her in 1984 and the same can be said for ‘Downtown’, which has always been one of my favourite songs (Originally by Petula Clark).
Other songs such as Turn! Turn! Turn (The Byrds) and ‘We Had It All’ are great attempts but don’t always hit the spot while ‘The Great Pretender’, and ‘I Can’t Help Myself’ see Parton make the songs her own in shining example.
This isn’t probably Parton’s best album. If you’re looking for some stellar Dolly Parton, then steer clear of this and listen to some of her originals. However, if you’re a Parton fan, then this is one that should already be in your collection.
A solid effort, even if Parton stumbles at times.
I give it 3/5
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