Coat Of Many Colors

My album of many plaintive country songs That Dolly made for me Made only from fiddle, bass, steel and vibrato voice But I listened so pleasantly Although they sounded pretty samey I was happy as I could be With my album of many country love songs That Dolly made for me

As someone who is not a fan of country music, this album was enlightening. I always knew Dolly Parton was something special, but this album reinforced that knowledge. She manages to take what I often times feel is a tired and repetitive genre and produced songs that are poignant, sweet, and funny. An absolutely fantastic album.

Exhibit A of old country music is so good, what the hell happened? I've always accepted Dolly as country royalty because of her chart toppers but this album really shows why she earned that crown. "Coat of Many Color," is a heartbreaking song that plays heads to the romping "Traveling Man's" tails. It's impressive that Dolly can write about such a broad range of topics and apparently back then it was impressive that she was writing her own songs at all. It's truly a songwriting showcase. For all the heartbreak and forlorn feelings on this album Dolly leaves you with a sense of joy when then whole thing wraps up. You really get that sunshine feeling from Dolly even on her most hard up songs. Her ability to make the darkness bright, and that deep FUNKY bass on "Early Morning Breeze," is what makes this one a classic.

This makes an argument for Dolly being one of the great early 70s singer-songwriters. For those of us who started with later Dolly it is revelatory. She may make more popular music later, but not better music.

"And people say she's just a big pair of tits".

There was a phase of quarantine that I listened to this album a couple times (more specifically I think it was brought on by a post election playing of "Clear Blue Morning" on repeat). It didn't strike the same fondness for every track on this latest revisiting but there's still some gems on here for sure. You get Dolly's full range of story telling in the first two songs: first you have a heartfelt story of a mother scrapping by for her daughter and in the next a mom's running off with her daughter's lover. What a range. Early Morning Breeze is one I'll certainly return to in the future. And Coat of Many Colors is just a charmer in both lyrics and walking bass line.

I listened all the way through, and I didn't feel bored once. That's the gold standard.

Hard to dislike this one: Great songs, great voice, under 30 minute runtime. It packs a punch and leaves you wanting more.

I fully admit I didn't know much about Dolly Parton until she became a recent resurgent media darling, but I truly love her attitude and care. It's so clear in what she sings about and how she lives. I hated country when I was young. But the older I get the more I realize I really just dislike a lot of pop country. I'm a sucker for American folk, western, and certain types of country music. This album has a few songs that definitely fit that bill. I think I'd cut it in half and turn it into an EP for regular listening, but very good overall. Great voice, full of emotion, love a heavy bass in the mix.

Full disclosure: I've never much cared for Dolly Parton's voice. I don't care for the way she uses vibrato and her voice is so sharp it could cut through steel. Which is not to say that she's a bad singer--her interpretative skills and phrasing are better than most and her pitch is dead on. It's really just a matter of personal preference, purely subjective. On Coat of Many Colors, while there is a fair amount of variety within the rubric of mainstream country (ballads, country-rock, etc.) it's all very generic, if well played but what I would guess are a bunch of Nashville studio cats. The melodies are nothing special either. The one area that Parton excels in is narrative songwriting. The opening two tracks, Coat of Many Colors and Traveling Man, are superb--I'd stack them up against the best of the giants of country music, like Hank Williams Sr., Lefty Frizzell, etc. Seemingly without effort, Dolly manages to cram in character writing, narrative, local color, comedy, and earned sentiment into three minutes or less! That's a rare talent and a golden ticket in popular music. Unfortunately, not all of the other songs she pens on the album are as magnificent. There's a nice ode to meeting God in the wonders of nature (Early Morning Breeze), but the rest of her lyrics could have come from a dozen other artists. To sum up, the terrific lyrics of the opening two songs overcome the bland music (although admittedly it might have sounded fresher back in 1971) and Dolly's voice (YMMV), but the rest of the album pretty much goes in one ear and out the other, not leaving much of a trace. Pleasant enough, but really slight.

Anybody else's pee taste weird after listening to this album?

Coat of Many Colours 27 minutes of sweetly voiced country pop excellence. Although she doesn’t stray too far from traditional country structures on all 10 songs she has a brilliant way of subtly playing with the form, bringing in elements from other genres to gently add some colour and variation here and there - it really showcases all of Dolly’s skills as a songwriter, arranger and singer. Coat of Many Colours exemplifies that, a sweet sweet melody and a genuinely moving lyric, a story told with warm hearted succinctness and directness. Travelling Man is a great uptempo country rocker, with that slightly bluesy opening riff and tom tom pattern giving it an unexpected little frisson of spikiness. Great harmonies and lap steel on My Blue Tears, all done and dusted in 2 minutes. If I Lose My Mind is pretty conventional, but the sad sweetness of the words is complemented by the weeping lap steel. The Mystery of the Mystery starts off conventionally too, but the organ that picks up the middle verses is great, giving a swimmy uncertainty that matches the questioning lyric. I love the proper country structure, title and lyric of She Never Met a Man, the chorus melody doing that country thing of resolving just ‘so’. That bass on Early Morning Breeze is fantastic, again kind of playing with the genre a little by being in the foreground and carrying the song musically. Again a lovely lyric and melody too. That break and ‘bluuueee’ in The Way I See you is special, and the few bars of piano before the final verse and the outro is so tastefully appropriate. The gospel backing vocals on Here I Am are another great example of her subtly adding different colours and tones. Another great melody on Another Place To Live, a really catchy chorus with that marching drum pattern underneath and more great bass. Excellent uptempo way to end things. I don’t think this can be anything but a 5 - a gem of a country album but also just a sublime set of melodies and lyrics in its own right, performed brilliantly with such warmth and personality, with no fat or filler. Fantastic. 🧥🧥🧥🧥🧥 Playlist submission: Early Morning Breeze

A new one on me and loved it. Has proper country music titles like She Never Met A Man (She Didn't Like). Favourite track was Travellin' Man. Really uplifting album.

Despite the sickly sweetness of a lot of Dolly's ballads and memoir songs including the title track, this album stretches into all the spaces the genre has to offer. 'Traveling Man' is Nancy Sinatra-style country punk, 'My Blue Tears' has that high lonesome bluegrass style, with harmonies and simple melody, and 'If I Lose My Mind' is classic Nashville country. It sort of tapers off toward the end in my opinion, but the first half is top-notch and as a piece it holds up very well.

Can't deny that voice. Her story is inspirational, and Coat of Many Colors is touching, beautiful, empowering, and telling about society. A very wise song. Obvioulsy a little preachy here and there, but a comforting album that is beautiful, human, and wholesome.

Pleasant to listen to but, on the whole, a little bit boring. I really like Dolly Parton's voice but no song really stood out to me here. Really nice cover by the way.

Ugh, another CaW album. Thankfully this one was tolerable and even enjoyable in parts. Good onya, Dolly.

The title track and Travelling Man are exceptional. Unsurprisingly, none of the tracks that follow match them. But they're all still good, pulchritudinous in a way that only someone with a voice and picking style this powerful can get away with. She virtually never belts. Doesn't have to. You can hear what she's capable of even in her faintest tremble. In a way, her vocal restraint is as gentle as her stories of Christian modesty. After all, towering above her audience and yodelling about the beauty of nature and her pauper's coat wouldn't sit quite right.

Sweet, delicate songs!

Nashville was a system that could, given the right artist and intent, produce artifacts that manage to sound both modest and flawless decades down the line. This is one of them. The personnel listing takes up a phone screen of space, but they seamlessly swap and flow from track to track, all framing Parton as she briskly catalogues a panoply of emotional states and incident. This isn’t my vibe today, but if offered a perfectly-weighted galette, I’m not going to sniff and say nah mate, I only eat trifle on Mondays. No-one cares a good cock about Trifle Monday, Simon.

Beautiful production with that 70's country style. Dolly Parton has a great voice with a distinct twang. The songwriting is excellent on this album too. "Coat of Many Colors" had me tearing up.

Quite fond of this, listened many times through the day. Dolly is a good singer and fine songwriter. I'll spare you the David Brent quote

Upbeat in its songwriting, unassuming in its lyrics, and almost musically elementary - 'Coat Of Many Colors' (album) embodies traditional country simplicity, with welcome augments by Dolly Parton. Familiar ingredients with the likes of Bob Dylan, Parton employs storytelling-style lyricism that provide a 'sweet' quality to the record, of youth and child-likeness. Easily received but not necessarily provoking, a satisfactory record delivered nonetheless in the form of her personal life's narrative.

I don't like rock

This is my first Dolly Parton album. This is a lyrical/storytelling banger. How does her voice sound like that. Coat of many colors is a wonderful and cute opener. It highlights how effective of a storyteller you can be in this genre and she does such a good job. The harmonies on my blue tears are beautiful, so are the ones on If I lose my Mind. Mystery of the Mystery is the first one that didn't really hit for me but what's beautiful about it still is it's only 2:28, god bless. The rest is solid, nothing hits my I must save this but I like it a lot. Here I Am actually, that one stands out. This is the first country album I've ever heard where I get it, like if my Dad was into this instead of Classic Rock/Grunge growing up I can see myself being a good ole' country boy. I'm a high 4 hesitant 5 on this.

great album

Incredible listen.

Lovely album, dolly does not get enough credit as a singer/songwriter, this album doesn’t overstay its welcome fun to listen and chill out to

Faves: The Early Morning Breeze, Coat of Many Colors

An amazing classic by a country legend.

klein aber fein

What a fantastic album by one of the greatest! This album feels like a fresh "morning breeze" that is such a pleasant listening. I have to admit I had never listened to this album before, even though I knew of it, so it has been a great experience to finally listen to it. I was so surprised of how much bass sounds in this album.

I’ve spent many years in Appalachia and Dolly is our queen. No way she gets less than five stars. She mails my kid books every month.

4:00 am - ofc, i know dolly, but none of the songs on this album. i think i will like it. 4:30 am - ah, such a warm, beautiful album. i used to really like country music, and this is reminding me why. everything about this album feels so cozy in a way that is authentic and not cloying. i feel so happy after listening to it...... 5:12 am - i ended up giving this a second listen right away, and it was even more lovely the second time. maybe a 5/5 tbh........ 9:20 pm - ive been listening to this album multiple times today. just so lovely. theres something about dollys voice that really grabs me emotionally. a definite 5/5.

Phenomenal

Æ elske Dolly Parton.

This was a real eye-opener for me - these days, Dolly Parton is one of those celebs who’s synonymous with so many things you kind of forget just how great a singer-songwriter she is. The title track alone is up there with anything Johnny Cash did and She’d Never Met a Man… put me in mind of Willie Nelson. I’d always had her down more as a movie star/ pop singer (and philanthropist of course) but this is great songwriting, I enjoyed it a lot.

Wonderful

Great!

Really strong, haven’t listened to a country album before and this was excellent, think “Lake Shore Drive” mixed with “It ain’t East”. The first song is easily the best however the second song is the weakest, the monologue at the end ruins the immersion. The rest of the songs are good and complement it well. 9/10

A melodic splendor from start to finish and one I am glad I have now listened to before I kick off! Songs Coat Of Many Colors and The Mystery Of Yhe Mystery stole my.heart.

The first song was something else. Straightforward and simple, yet deep songs. A great listen!

Enjoyable listen, nice mix of country and upbeat

Great album!

Such a beautiful voice and storytelling. Loved hearing a full Dolly album for the first time.

Maybe the greatest living American. Miss Dolly is a great storyteller and the instrumentals behind her are really great too. Traveling Man is a really funny song. This is short and sweet and probably everything I want in a country album.

I didn't expect a Dolly Parton album of all things to be this good. Filled with amazing stories and a really bittersweet tone throughout the whole thing that I loved from the start.

It’s hard for me not to enjoy Dolly Parton. The first few songs on this album are about her early country life, similar to Loretta Lynn’s Van Lear Rose album except one recorded it at the beginning her career and the other at the end.

To know this album is to know country music. Sentimentality, heart ache, two timing, authenticity, RCA Studio A and The A Team.

I don’t know if there’s really words to describe just how sweet and wonderful this album is. In my opinion this is Dolly at her absolute best, and it’s really no wonder she became such a truly incredible star of not just country western, but a star in the hearts of anyone who’s ever paid her any mind at all. It’s upbeat, it’s genuine, and it’s beautiful. This record touches on love, heartbreak, weird love triangles, and lots of other relatable and real things. Dolly’s songwriting, guitar playing, and incredible voice really come together in such a perfect storm, creating something that’s truly greater than the sum of its parts. It’s important to note the influence and work of Porter Wagoner on not just this album, but in introducing the world to Dolly Parton, and we should all be thankful that he did. Easy 5*

Really enjoyed the style of the album, had a good blend of country and folk feel

Ist das erste Album was ich absichtlich nach dem ersten Durchhören nochmal gestartet habe. Vor Jahren null mit Country anfangen können, aber Junge ist die Frau eine klasse Künstlerin. Von mir gibts 5 Sterne, alleine die Lyrics und ihre klare Stimme wären 4, das man nur so durch das Album schwebt ist Kirsche auf der Sahnetorte.

Excellent album!

Have to give it a 5 for the emotional response it provoked in me. First song was enough to make me cry and that carried on for the first few tracks. So pure and evocative of a time and place. Top tracks: coat of many colours, my blue tears, early morning breeze, here I am. Least fave track: the way I see you (just felt a little out of place)

The influence of this is easy to hear, a classic for good reason 4.5*

Love dolly.

Excellent album from a great singer songwriter. First three songs are the strongest and really capture her singular talent and personality.

My spirit animal. Just wonderful storytelling that works for my heart and soul.

Absolutely amazing album probably my favorite album of hers, I've only heard like 10 to 15 out of 60 some odd. But this and *Joline* are her high water mark of what I've heard (9.93) ★★★★½

Good songwriting, very nice sound and voice. 5 stars

Dolly is an American hero

Awesome!

Loved it

THIS is why I love this project! Finding hidden gems like this Dolly album that I would've never listened to in a million years. Her writing is simple but earnest and heartfelt. Not to mention catchy as all get out. It's no wonder Dolly is such a nation treasure.

The opening track, and title track, of Coat Of Many Colors might be the best song ever written that falls under the genre of country music. It always makes me well up a little, and really pulls on the heartstrings. I didn’t recognise anything else on this album, but I did find myself enjoying it. Dolly has always been the anomaly in country music, because she just makes good songs. My only criticism with this is that it felt like it was finished too soon. I was left wanting more, but that’s probably the nicest criticism an album can have.

Man, Dolly has PIPES. I’ve never listened to her stuff extensively, and this was a joy. Songs like Here I Am just blew me away – the amount of control and emotion she pulls into her songs is unbelievable. The songwriting is a bit one-note like a lot of the older music we’ve had on here, but I don’t really care. I’ll sit here and listen to this all day

Nice and somber with plenty of beautiful authentic vocals

Fun little album. Sweet instrumentals and vocal work. Also hard for me to separate artists from the art on this one - Dolly Parton is a wonderful person! 'Coat Of Many Colors' was my fave track.

Dolly is amazing. She.never disappoints!!!

When you show up at heaven's gate, Dolly Parton greets you with your own coat of many colours.

Solid country gold. No one hates Dolly and her music is great too. Great album from The Queen of Tennessee and an all around amazing person.

Joyful voice

Beautiful. Dolly has one of the most underrated voices in music.

Dolly is a treasure!

Low 5. I liked how quick the album went.

Great album of songs I didn’t know. It was good to hear more of dolly than just her hits

Pre-listening thoughts: aw yay dolly!!!! Post/during listening thoughts: there are a few singers in this world who they could sing me a grocery list and I’d give it a 5 on this site and dolly is one them. Plus the songwriting is an amazing example of what makes country storytelling so good. 9.5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: hmm maybe but like I just feel like people should hear any dolly Fav tracks: Coat of Many Colors, Traveling Man, Early Morning Breeze, The Way I See You, Here I Am Least fav tracks: n/a

First and last song was good. Good curse less album with countryside feeling.

Good golly Miss Dolly! I don't know how I could give this less than 5 stars. What a songwriter, what a voice. I can't get over how great Coat of Many Colors (the song) is. She employs such masterful storytelling true to the heart and soul of country/ folk music. This is so easy to listen to and she packs a lot into such a short time. My favorite songs right now are the title track, Traveling Man, My Blue Tears, Early Morning Breeze, and Here I Am.

A god damn delight.

I really like dolly this album was great.

As essential to any country music library as Sgt Peppers is to any rock music library. Her voice is just perfect. Essential.

Dolly Parton, you can do no wrong.

This album rocks so hard. Dolly's versatility is remarkable. "Coat of Many Colors" sets the tone so well as a gut wrenching, emotional ballad. The twist at the end of "Traveling Man" is straight up gold, amazing song. "She's Never Met a Man (she doesn't like)" is another very fun song. "Here I Am" is a highlight on the second half of the record. "Mystery of the Mystery" is a little bleh, and the second half of the record doesn't live up to the first. But the one two punch of "Coat of Many Colors" and "Traveling Man" is so good this is a five star record for me, and there are a bunch of other good tracks on her. Deeply enjoyed this.

I remember this album from Dolly Parton and its title track which I learned about from an American music course in college. It's a sweet song about accepting the best that one can accomplish with what they have, as Dolly wore that coat of rags her mother made for her. It's a nice sentimental song with a story to it, which is pretty much how the rest of the album is. Coat of Many Colors is a decent slice of country music where the warm textures provided by Dolly's voice and the session musicians are paired with lyrics of whimsy coming from an earnest place. She sang from the heart about relationships lived in such as in "If I Lose My Mind" and "She Never Met a Man (She Didn't Like)", and with wide eyes about the larger world in front of her such as in "The Mystery of the Mystery" and "Early Morning Breeze". There's nothing too exciting or profound to be had here, and sometimes that's just enough for an album to satisfy. I didn't expect to give such high praise to an album so simple on the surface, but Coat of Many Colors shines in that exception.

Love!! Favorites I think are obviously the opening song, My Blue Tears, the way I see you and here I am. But I loved everything all together!

Young Dolly. What else to say??

Dolly is so sweet you can't help but love her. Her voice and storytelling is immediately endearing. "Coat of Many Colors" is a particularly gorgeous piece of songwriting. The backing band does its job well and I'm a sucker for that pedal steel (especially when it's Pete Drake!). The album is short and light as a feather, with next to no filler. It isn't super ambitious, but for me it becomes far more than the sum of its parts. Lovely stuff. I'm charmed.

Love love love. Dolly Parton can do no wrong. ‘The Way I See You’ is a beautiful song I hadn’t heard before.

Just a really good album tbh loved it

Dolly Parton albums tend to be, erm, front-loaded with whatever her single was at the time and a lot of filler, but this is one of the exceptions. I love the one-two punch of a mother’s love in the title track and the high camp of her mama stealing her secret boyfriend in “Traveling Man.” “The Mystery of the Mystery” is country gospel existentialism of the highest order. “Early Morning Breeze” is a spooky beauty that could have been a Lee Hazelwood cut or even a VU b-side.

Favorite Track: The Mystery of the Mystery

DOLLY

It just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it? What an album! What a songwriter!

Marvelous album. The songs are well written and even better executed. The band is incredible and Dolly is Dolly, nuff said there. AND it's just under half an hour, perfect amount of time but I still yearn for more

She’s so good, man lmao. Her voice is amazing, but I hate how she has so much vibrato; I know by now it’s her signature style but it can be a bit much for me sometimes. Other than that the songwriting is great and the songs are too. I’ll be replaying this.

9/10 maybe even close to a 10 as I feel every song is a great addition and I got something out of the tracks; a message, a laugh or just nice descriptions of a morning sun... personal and infectious lyrics and I may have been to harsh on country, the mellow guitars exude comfort :) Traveling Man is funny cause you can hear her laugh midtake, something I had previously heard on Yung Lean - Shine lol :D The Mystery of Mystery presents an interesting question about how much we really can know! Very passionate voice on all her songs! And from what I remember she is well liked with a lot of philanthropy so that's great :D

YES DOLLY

Literally perfect what the heck.

Consistent