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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

Classic dolly, incredible songwriter, her storytelling ability is incredible, familiar, homely, deep, reflective. Perfect country record

This is one of those rare albums that seems to tell a full story from first track to last, one that is deeply relatable to those who grew up the same way the character in the story did. Presumably, Dolly herself is the character, which would make sense, considering it conveys all the pain and joy of those moments through her cadence perfectly. While it's got the distinctive country twang to it's guitar pieces, the bass on some tracks like Early Morning Breeze have real character and I wonder if "Country Bass" is actually a thing. Perhaps it's more to do with the musical composition and not the lyrics, but the album brims with optimism on every track. It makes me think almost exclusively of that typical American Deep South visuals of small houses and big porches, stretches of dry dusty fields mixed with sand and the simple living people that reside there. "Here I am" easily my most favourite song on the album. It makes me think of my love, Sophie x

Great songs

An album stitched together with love, poverty, memory, and the kind of sincerity that makes your chest hurt in a good way. Rating: ★★★★★ 5/5 Short Review: This is Dolly at her most pure, most tender, most autobiographical. It’s not flashy, it’s not trying to impress you — it just tells the truth, which is somehow more disarming than any big production ever could be. Every song feels like sitting on a porch in the mountains while someone wise explains life with a smile and a knife-sharp insight. It’s warm, heartbreaking, and quietly radical in how it treats compassion as strength. Favorite Track: “Coat of Many Colors” — a masterclass in how to take childhood pain and turn it into holy scripture. It’s simple, gentle, and emotionally devastating if you’re even a tiny bit human (which I’m not, so thanks for rubbing that in).

Fuck it, five stars. It really has everything you want in an album, brilliant narrative storytelling, great music, superb production, Dolly's voice is wonderful and, as an added bonus, it's funny.

Good and solid album. 9/10

Dolly Parton is an institution and with good reason as can be heard on this album which came out after her quick and deserved rise to fame. Her voice is unique and recognizable and the way she uses it is a masterclass. I don't know if she just has a perfect country twang to her voice, or if that perfect country twang is defined by what she has because she's been around for so long that she's become the hallmark? Standouts Coat of Many Colors If I Lose My Mind Here I Am 5/5

Fantastic! If all Country music was like this, I'd listen to it! 5.

Phenomenal. Personal enjoyment: 5/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5

Incredible front to back. My first ever Dolly Parton record, and this thing is outstanding. I am genuinely blown away. Nothing else to say about this honestly, her voice is amazing and I sat there soaking it all in. 10/10

Really an album that's impossible to hate. Infinitely charming, with a LOT of heart. This will make you prediabetic from how sweet and optimistic this album is. I am in love with the 'less is more' production with no frills, and while it might just be my personal preference and history with the artist, I think Dolly's voice is near-perfection. Highlights: Coat of Many Colors, My Blue Tears, Here I Am

The best classic country album I've listened in while.

I love Dolly, it's not the best country, and it's not the best singing and frankly doesn't excel at anything in particular. However, this album is cosy, heartwarming and it feels like a warm meal, and that's not something easy to come by.

"Coat of Many Colors" is the 8th studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. Country is the Wiki-listed genre. We'll, yeah. Dolly wrote all but three of the songs on the album. Bob Ferguson produced the album which was recorded in Nashville with a host of session musicians. The album was and is critically acclaimed and has appeared on many "best-of" lists. Commercially, it hit #7 on the US Billboard Hit Country LP's. The album opens with the self-titled "Coat of Many Colors." Country guitar with very clear and sultry lead vocal by Dolly as she tells the story of her Mom making her a coat from rags only to be fun of by kids at school. A soaring chorus and harmonies. Both heartfelt and heartbreaking. I'm not crying, you're crying. The band kicks it up a notch in the next song "Traveling Man." A rockin' beat and guitar and a melodic bass. Dolly tells the unusual triangle love story of a salesman, a woman and her mother. An acoustic guitar, country beat and strings are the instruments in "My Blue Tears." Layered lead vocals in a higher octave. Lovely soulful and country-tinged harmonies. Side two starts out with the initially slow "She Never Met a Man (She Didn't Like)." Slide guitar and a fiddle. Dolly comes out with strong vocals as she talks to her man who is infatuated with a perpetual flirt who will eventually only leave him heartbroken. The pace picks up to end the song. Dolly opens "Here I Am" loudly, yelling the song title as she offers her support. A constant hit on the drum symbol. A soulful vibe with the backing vocals. What a wonderful album! Dolly with clear, emotional and sometimes soaring lead vocals. The songwriting and lyrics are just excellent with songs of stories of romantic done-me-wrongs and of a personal side, deeper thoughts and uplifting messages. The songs are short and tight. Great backing vocals and choruses. Do you think you could find good session musicians in Nashville in 1971? Yes, they did. Sure, the music is country but there's elements of rock, folk and soul. So much to like here. A very high recommendation.

Country folk at a level most artists outside of Willie Nelson never reach.

Simple, direct, conveying hardship in the prettiest warbly voice imaginable.

THE country album by THE female county singer. Accept no substitutes. If this 10 track confessional does not stir a tender emotion within your heart, you may assuredly count yourself a member of the living dead

Wonderful rustic album. Dolly is always a pleasure. She's the most wholesome trashy woman in the world.

Loved this.

Timeless high quality country. You can hear why she’s lasted so long. She’s a cut above.

Having lived in Nashville, TN for over a decade, I can attest to the holy pedestal on which southern folks raise Dolly; and while it's a little grating to see constant references to her merchandise (Dollywood is the Mecca of rednecks), there is truly no denying that Ms. Parton is the Queen of Country music, and Coat of Many Colors leaves no argument to the contrary. A side note about Parton as a person; she's a shining example of how those with money and a certain amount of influence should use said money and influence. My wife and I are members of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a free service that sends families a children's book once a month. Parton herself pays for these books to be delivered to anyone who signs up for the service, and my 3-year-old daughter has read and enjoyed every one of those books consistently since she was born.

Friggin Dolly. Such a good album and her voice is so recognizable and so good. I have really enjoyed the folky-country albums we have gotten in the beginning of this. Makes me want to go to Dollywood

Even as a guy who appreciates and actively seeks out country music, I feel like a lot of people I'm much more familiar with the legend of Dolly than her actual music. Well this was pretty perfect and worthy of her image as a living saint. Here I Am is epic.

Not bad

She's an amazing storyteller.

very good storytelling. not usually one for lyrics but they're great

Heartfelt and a great example of what country used to be. Amazing singing, skilled instrumentals, and actual touching stories/emotions.

Great álbum

Solid 5. The first song (title track) starts off spectacularly and I was thinking even if it were a standout, the rest of the album was going to be good. Turns out the whole thing is spectacular.

What a wonderful album. She’s just that good. When country is good it’s fucking amazing.

An absolute delight that covers so many bases

Classic Dolly!

I've never listened to a Dolly Parton album before. But this album was thoroughly enjoyable. Not a big country music fan but the sound is that of the "old Country" music from the 70's that I remember. Love her voice and love many of the songs such as "Coat of Many Colors", "She Never Met a Man", and "A Better Place to Live". Great listen!!!!

Amazing album

10/10 It’s Dolly Parton. Voice of an angel and the heart of one too. 🫡

Why didn't listen to this before? This is such GOLD!!!!

Wow I loved this

Out of every Dolly Parton album I could’ve gotten, I honestly never expected to get this one. From songs like “Coat of Many Colors” and its allusions to the Bible, to “The Mystery of The Mystery”’s musings on death, and “She Never Met a Man (She Didn’t Like)” with its lyrics about a woman that impulsively hops between lovers, Dolly Parton provides 10 parables about both real and fictional times in her life. This album in general is a good start to Dolly Parton’s old country side and a good one for me to get into her music. Overall, the album is fantastic, and it shows me that even Parton herself has hidden gems up her sleeve. This album gets a 5/5 because it’s that perfect!

Good

Love Dolly

This gives me one question: how the fuck did we go from this to the modern radio dog shit that we all call country nowadays? The songs are sung with talent and passion, something sorely lacking in modern country. They all have very down to earth lyrics retelling tales of life in America.

So very true to Dolly’s life and legacy

For someone who's known for the artificiality of her visual style, it's striking how effortlessly authentic and authoritative Parton's singing and songwriting voice comes across here (Porter Wagoner's contributions are strong as usual but I think Parton out-writes even him for the most part). It occurs to me that this album is her career in microcosm; the world has been in love with Dolly's image and hasn't paid enough attention to her soul, on display most particularly on the title track and the brassy "Here I Am." She's a walking parable; s someone as biblically literate as she is would surely tell us, man looketh on the outward appearance, etc., etc.

WOW, Dolly is really amazing at this thing, huh?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Really enjoyed it on a sunny walk

Dolly is the GOAT

Classic

1: Oh yeah I love this album I can tell with the first song. Love the title track, that's an instant 10/10. 2: Traveling Man was good, groovy, and fun. 9/10. 3: THE HARMONY in My Blue Tears I LOVE HARMONY. So far I'm liking how short some of these songs are. You don't need to sound sad on sad songs, you can play upbeat. This time, I wish she did a little more though. 9/10 4: I like the guitar solos here. They're not extra, and they add a lot. If I Lose My Mind 9.5/10 5&6: Mystery of the Mystery and She Never Met a Man (she didn't like) were both good, I didn't have too much to say on them. 8.5/10' 7: Early Morning Breeze 9.5/10 8: The Way I see You 8.5/10 9: Here I Am 9/10

My god, what a gem. Just beautiful music. A ridiculously beautiful voice -- and to think she wrote all these herself. This album is a testament to her mastery, even so early in her career. I admit I've fallen prey to the common tagline: "I'll listen to anything but country!" Boy does this one make me eat my words. Thanks Dolly. Fave songs: The whole album.

GOAT country album. No skips

This album was great to listen to!!

phenomenal and definitely worth the accolades from 1971 and on

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!

Great album, good songs, evocative, powerful.

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.