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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This might have been my first 5 stars. I love Dolly! I love her vulnerability. I love the choices she has made in the last decades of her life- when she had the agency to choose. It was not easy to be a girl/woman in the industry when she started. And just look at the shit she took after 9-to-5. I knew about the size of her breasts long before I knew her music. As a kid growing up in the 80’s there were limitless Dolly jokes. She was the butt of the joke for almost a decade. But her music and her voice is beautiful. It thrills me that Dolly finally got the respect owed to her. She is a true GOAT.

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

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.

pfff boring ik ben echt niet zo een country fan

I don't like rock

I’m one of those annoying people who goes around saying how much they hate country albums, but I’m starting to realize that’s probably cause I’ve been listening to the wrong albums. These are some of the most beautiful and moving songs I’ve heard in a minute. I was on the verge of tears at points.

Don't usually like country but I do like this

Just a great record. The production is fantastic, the band is great, Dolly's voice and her songs are top notch. Definitely a must-hear country album.

Lovely beautiful wonderful

More like "Album of Many Bangers" amirite?

Super excited to see Dolly on this list as it needs more country on it. But to have a Dolly album and it not include Jolene should be criminal. Still gets a 5 though because it is Dolly.

There’s not too many song writers who know how to tell a story like Dolly.

Listened to this while driving across the country. Perfect atmosphere for it. I listened to it three times. I can't believe I've never heard "Here I am". There's some great genres blending in that one, country, southern rock and Motown vibes. I want an Aretha Franklin cover of that song. Also, I keep thinking about how effective the simple the repeated cascading piano line in The Way I See You is. I also really enjoyed the bass in Early Morning Breeze. That one almost has hints of 60's psychedelia sound. Throughout the whole album she comes across so confident but utterly unpretentious. Loved it.

Really enjoyed this album. Made me laugh and cry. Heartfelt lyrics.

Dolly sings about poverty, pride, love, and loss with a voice that never asks for pity, only understanding.

cried almost the entire album. no notes favorite song: the mystery of the mystery least favorite song: here i am

It's Dolly!! What else can you say? Such a great artist. Loved every song.

Something about Dolly Parton's voice over a pedal steel just soothes the soul. Her crystalline voice and twang are perfectly complimented by Peter Drake's (one of the best to ever do it) and his steel guitar. If the entire album was just the two of them, I'd still dig it. I really enjoyed this one and was not only impressed with Dolly's performance, but her songwriting chops, too.

It may be heresy in these parts, but there's such a gap between Dolly's greatest songs and the more sentimental, by-numbers album fillers. Still, Jennifer has told me I have to give it an extra mark 'just for being Dolly', so here we are.

I love Dolly's voice. That will always be true. I haven't heard this album before though! This is really sweet and classic country record. Something I always love for the simplicity of song writing as an art. Plus the pedal steel is lovely.

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.

The title track here is, hands down, one of the greatest country songs of all time, an absolute tearjerker of a ballad focusing on two of the genre's favorite subjects: God and poverty. I'm a sucker for songs about being happy despite difficult circumstances, and Coat of Many Colors definitely fits the bill. The rest of the songs don't quite match that song's quality, but it's still all very well done country pop. The midsection of the album can get a bit repetitive, with a stretch of songs with very similar structures and chord progressions, but Dolly is a talented enough singer and songwriter to make it work. The back half of the album starts showing off more variety, with the musicians embracing more diverse sounds without straying too far from the country pop mold. This is not the best country album, or even the best Dolly Parton album I've ever heard, but there's still a lot to like about it.

I like classic country a lot but this isn't varied enough to really distinguish from song to song. Still beautiful in a number of ways.

Too damn country and too damn usa but dolly has a pretty voice

Dolly Parton is another one of those artists that I tend to point to as an example of the way country music ought to be, despite having never actually listened to a full album from her before today. Because of that, I really wanted to love Coat of Many Colors, but it unfortunately landed in the middle of the road for me. It never got bad, but I think the title track was the only one on the album I truly loved! Highlights: Coat of Many Colors, Traveling Man, If I Lose My Mind, Never Met a Man (She Didn't Like), Here I Am

Well, it’s a bit of a bang back down to earth after 2 Radiohead albums in a row, but let’s see… 27 minutes at 10 songs. I respect it! Feels instantly recognisable as Dolly (and country). Doesn’t really do too much for me, but as usual with country, really nice story telling through the lyrics. I kind of get the gist and it does what it is, well, but just never going to get my energy going! Opening 2 tracks the best and a good spectrum between them (3.5)

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

Cried first song in so I knew it was going to be good

Did not expect to like this as much as I did!

Amazing!

She’s the GOAT of many colours

I mean, How can you not just adore Dolly? And the range of her relationship with her mama?!

Wonderful

Not her best but its Dolly so its beyond amazing

Not my favorite style of music, but what an icon dolly is!!!

A national treasure

depois disso eu sinto que perdi muita coisa tendo esse preconceito com música country

Really Yeehaw, feels good on a nice summer day ride

i really like country

When I say that I like country, THIS is what I mean. The title song alone deserves 5 stars

I wasn’t sure what to give this but Here I Am really sealed the deal. She’s got a pretty extraordinary voice and charisma and as someone who for a long time only really recognised her as a caricature it’s lovely to realise how wrong I was.

Dolly can do no fucking wrong, including here. The absolute god empress of country music.

Killer stuff! Really feels like an exploration of women's relationships with each other. Dolly don't miss.

Love me some, Dolly. Always have and always will.

Increíble country te amo dolly eres una reina

The voice of an angel!

Not 100% aligned with my tastes, but it’s very pleasant to listen to and Dolly Parton is a freaking national treasure. This pushed it over to five stars.

Short and sweet

fantastic

Never really listened to Dolly before but man, she is so talented. Enjoyed every song on the album.

5/5

10 songs 27 minutes no skips I love you dolly

Clear-eyed and beautiful.

One of Dolly’s incredible contributions to music!!

it is good no real flaws

incredibly consistent songwriting, great compositions. couldve gotten away with running longer but also doesnt feel like its missing anything significant. 2 somewhat lesser tracks (the mystery of the mystery and a better place to live) arent enough to weigh this down for me.

Try to find a single bad Dolly song... Just one... and fail.

Dolly is goated

International treasure, and so cheeky

💘QUEEN💘

Love a 30 min album, couple bangers, listened 3 times!

Love dolly

Dolly Parton – Coat of Many Colors (1971) On Day 83, I finally found exactly what I’ve been longing for in the country genre. This LP is among the best albums I’ve heard in this challenge so far. It offers a soft, relaxing, and cozy vibe, serving as a great example of high-level musicianship. The title track, Coat of Many Colors, is a masterpiece we all appreciate, but The Mystery of the Mission was the real standout for me. The vocal performance is incredible, providing a vocal triumph that feels both grounded and immaculate. It’s a lean, focused body of work with zero bloat and total soul. A definitive 5/5.

its sorta easy to take dolly parton for granted given she is more of a Cultural Institution than a regular artist from a certain perspective, but oh my god man it cant be emphasized enough, any attempt to list the best and biggest Personalities of all singers in the history of recorded music that doesnt include her in at Least the top 10 is not a list worth its salt. both as a writer and performer she maintains an incredible Dramatic Ownership over every single track, effortlessly slotting in as a character no matter what the story is...she projects the sweetest and funniest and most interesting woman alive. and no matter what character she's playing she always displays this incredible amount of narrative and emotional autonomy, not as some kind of fiery rebellion but as this effortlessly bright appreciation for our capacity to make choices and face the consequences, in and out of and around various social structures...a depiction of freedom and the weight it comes with it not as some lofty holy privilege but as something as natural as breathing. and man even if any of the songs weren't stellar (which they somehow just about all are, i especially love the often dreamy B side), literally anything that lets you hear dolly parton sing is worth your time. a warm and poignant powder keg masterpiece

The best!

A fantastic old school country album with heartfelt ballads, dance-worthy upbeat songs, and plenty of humorous and deep lyrics make for a great album from start to finish. Perfect length for something short and sweet, just like Dolly Parton

Short, sweet, and beautiful. What more could you want

Again I am shocked by a country album. This is lovingly rendered, sensitive, beautiful, full of feeling- a little old-timey in moments, but also has a real inner life and sense of humour. I like this a great deal, Dolly is a legend and a wonderful songwriter. What the fuck happened to country after this

Богиня и мама. За всю жизнь плакала миллион раз над coat of many colors.

1 killer and lots of excellent fillers

Dolly National Treasure

Bangers, except for track 5 that song makes no sense.

This was wonderful, just wonderful. I absolutely adored it.

Elsker det.

Loved!

Great album. Knew Dolly and some of the hits but never listened to an album. Will definitely look for some more

Coat of Many Colors - 4/5 Traveling Man - 5/5 My Blue Tears - 4/5 If I Lose My Mind - 4/5 The Mystery Of The Mystery - 3.5/5 She Never Met A Man (She Didn't Like) - 3.5/5 Early Morning Breeze - 4/5 The Way I See You - 4/5 Here I Am - 5/5 A Better Place To Live - 4/5

Classic!

Fuck yes

One of the greatest singer songwriters of all time.

Simple country just done simply well. 4.5 bumped up to 5.