Trio

I'm a country fan so I feel like I'm suppose to like this but there was something about the harmonies that didn't work for me

Countrysmartlappen ja, mooi woord. Prachtige harmonieen, mandoline op de achtergrond, slide guitar erbij voor de snik. Het gaat mij alleen net wat te traag allemaal, zelfs zo op de vroege ochtend. Maar dat komt misschien omdat ik nog vol adrenaline zit van een heerlijke pot volleybal van gisteravond, die meer tot de verbeelding sprak dan dit album. Er staat denk ik geen 1 nummer op dat ik over een uur nog herken. Al doen ze er verder ook niemand kwaad mee, prima om dit met een fles whisky bij een knisperend haardvuur in Kentucky aan te horen. Toch rond ik het af naar beneden, het beklijft allemaal te weinig en ik ben blij als het album afgelopen is, zodat ik wat anders op kan zetten.

Meh. Een beetje zagerig en veel van hetzelfde imho.

Kinda more of a 2.5

I was so excited for this. I had no clue that Dolly Parton had made a super-group album with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. I was however quite disappointed. Country for me is all about storytelling and for some reason I just didn't really buy in to the stories. It just sounded like generic country. Maybe it was because i haven't listened to it enough? For now it gets a strong 2.

Eh, not much to say here

Dolly Parton is a legend, but I don’t like country music

Lovely vocals and lyrics, that's about it. Folk it.

It was alright wouldn't listen again tho

I think this is doing Dolly a disservice to state this is uniquely her album, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt must take equal blame for this godawful album. However respect to them for capturing a unique moment in time when they could flog 20 billion sales to a particular genre of sad white wannabee cowboys, and I hope they all enjoyed spending every penny (cent) they made.

Not my tune

Out of the three artists in this Trio, the only one whose work I’ve enjoyed has been Parton’s. It makes sense, then, that I only enjoyed about a third of this album. Dolly can’t write the whole group out of a songwriting rut, and while the vocals are stellar the instrumentation drags and barely changes across the whole runtime.

Een echt country album. Langzame swijmelige muziek met slijpende steel-guitar en banjo geluidjes. Niet zo mijn ding. **

This was just there. I forgot it as soon as it finished.

Straight-up country is not for me...

They wish. Duo.

Three great vocalists doing regulation country music. Undeniably nice, just not very exciting. In the right context and environment, a very pleasant listen I'm sure, but rush hour traffic in West London probably wasn't that. :D

This one was exactly as expected! Three very pleasant (but not earthshatteringly brilliant) voices, hopping between full on country and gentle soft pop. Nothing particularly inspiring, nothing to really note. 2/5.

Klare meg uten

Best Song: Wildflowers. Lyrically quite nice. Made me want to be a wild little flower. Worst Song: To Know Him. Diabetically saccharine. Overall: Absolutely not my kind of music. Painfully slow, preoccupied with desperate, romantic themes. And what's more, the central conceit of the three singers harmonizing always felt worse than just Dolly Parton singing on her own.

Great harmonies, forgettable songs.

Whoever approved this horrendous album cover was hopefully fired immediately. I adore the three members of Trio as much as the next person. Legends each in their own right. I’m sure they had a fun time recording this together. I just don’t see the point in it.

not my cup of tea

NB

This is fine, I guess, but I don't see what it's contributed to be on this list.

Beautiful voices, but in a genre that is completely wasted on me. It was a struggle getting through this one.

Old school country de tres pesos pesants del génere. No sóc suficient conexiedor del génere per poder valorar amb justícia. M'ha semblat simplement passable

More often than not when it comes to country, i'm more interest in the artists than the songs itself. It's no different here. As much as i admire Dolly Parton as a person, the album simply doesn't grab my attention.

Don't like production. Pretty blend

Ok

Bless....... Dolly seems to be the dominant one here although someone needs to take the lead I guess. It's a bit bland to be honest- nothing original here although it's pleasant enough.

It's fine. Didn't do much for me though. I guess some of the harmonies were nice. Could definitely be worse. My favourite song was Telling Me Lies.

Not my cup of tea. I'm sure it is great, but I wasn't in the mood for it.

was well prepared to love it, but I couldn't

I'm usually not a fan of country music, and in my opinion the 80s were when the genre really started pushing that "country pop" I oh so loathe. However, Dolly Parton is a treat of a person, so I won't dismiss this instantly. While the harmonies and vocals were impressive, the album left a lot to be desired. At best, it was pretty okay but less than notable country music, but it often dipped into either hard to enjoy 50s era country, or was very generic 80s country, the exact that I figured I would not enjoy. There is enough here to keep it out of the one star, but I see nothing here to make this album notable, save for vocals that are outdone by other singers or Parton herself on this very list.

Boring. This is not Dolly's best work.

Surely “The Pain” referred to in the 1st track refers to the pain of listening to this album’s country music?

I like Dolly Parton, but I definitely don't like this collaboration. Frankly, the songs are just really boring. It doesn't sound painful or anything like that, but I can't understand why someone would like to listen to it.

Considering the talent on the album, I expected more. I am disappointed, unfortunately. A lot of this is maudlin, forgettable stuff. Quite good as background music though.

Enjoyed this more than I thought I would, it has a nice mellow sound. Their voices work really well together. It's not something I'd listen to again but it was alright in the background.

Gnälligt! Gillar andra engelska artister mer.

arrraaa

Ik had hier zin in. Ik hou best van Dolly en Emmylou Harris, maar dit ging de verkeerde kant op. Dat lied over die hobo. Ik dacht dat het over het muziekinstrument ging en kon het niet plaatsen: What Will become of the hobo Whenever his time comes to die? Even onderzoek gedaan en een hobo blijkt ook een zwerver te zijn :)

Kolme tähteä päättää osallistua levy-yhtiöpomojen ehdottamaan rahastukseen. Ajatus tästä on hellyttävä, ja lopputulos kauniin kuuloinen. En ole kuitenkaan vakuuttunut biisivalinnoista, enkä erityisemmin välitä ammattimaisen taidokkaasti toteutetuista harmonioista.

A very pleasant listen, but the songwriting didn't really interest or impress me at all

okay.

Vraiment pas pour moi. J’ai tout de même bien apprécié l’orchestration de I’ve had enough. Aussi, je reconnais que le style à sa façon de raconter des histoires simple de la vie de tous les jours des gens d’un coin de pays.

Good singers, but too country for me.

Or the greatest dolly.

It might be really good country music, but it's still country music.

Three titans. Harmony. Pitch perfect times over slide guitars. Country in pure form. Unfortunately that comes with the down sides. Hymns of the patriarchy. Is she singing about loving Jesus or her husband? Is her husband God? Purposeful distortion that tastes sweet but is poison to anyone celebrating these titans.

Meh

2.5. It's good, but not really my thing

Best part about listening to this album is that there is one less country album on the list to listen to.

Very famous and acclaimed musicians, but it’s very boring country music.

Rarely been that repulsed to listen to an album just by seing the artist that made it. This look so fucking ass. For some reason, apple music doesnt want me to listen to track number 5, great. Country gotta be the worst music genre of music ever. Absolutely nothing interesting. After you have heard the first song, you have basicaly listened to all the album. I find it crazy that shity souless album like these can sell fucking millions of copies. Theres even a song called "Ive had enough" near at the end of the album. Yeah thats tracks.

Genuinely one of the most boring things i’ve ever heard, even the harmonies were underwhelming. Sounds like a worse version of what the nitty gritty dirt band did

Country, 42 eme album =>1/5

the ai background for this on apple music is horrifying

Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.

Not for me.

It's not my tipe

442/1089 - This was a slog and a half.

Not my style, at all. ★

sorry dolly you're not my style

It’s not that I don’t like country music, but I really don’t like this at all. Sorry...

me pareció re maluco

These woman are very talented. Unfortunate that they only sing country music...

I love the Coen brothers' films, including O' Brother, Where Art Thou? This film featured a few songs that made me rethink my attitude toward country music. The first track on this album was so off-putting that I actually wanted to turn it off right away. Then I listened to a few more tracks and decided to give the album a chance, remembering the film I mentioned. It was so awful that I gave up less than halfway through. I couldn't stand it. I'd rather listen to a scrap press or a circular saw. 1/5

This is really a genre I can't get behind.

Can't stand Country music

Beforehand: not really looking forward to this, don't particularly like country and western. But respect all 3 artists. Everyone of them are amazing vocalists. Four songs in and wishing it was over. It's the most boring yet amazingly performed album. I'm getting nothing from this. I quit with two songs to go, on the appropriately named "I've had enough."

Absolute pants, don’t like this kind of country. The better songs were the ones that Dolly wasn’t singing. Her voice is horrendous

I recognize that there's some excellent musicianship going on here, not only in terms of the vocalists. but also the instrumental backing. That being said, this record did not move the needle in terms of my opinion about country music, which is: ain't my bag. (And here's why - country music is perhaps the most *musically* conservative form of comtemporary popular music. The writers and performers don't take risks in terms of melodic or harmonic development; it's just the same I-IV-V chord progressions over and over again. *Trio* is no different - it might be gen-u-ine American music but it totally plays it safe, there's no sense of adventure about it at all.)

I always found the number of singers in boy bands confusing. As none of them were musicians, they had to sing. There was nothing else for it. Thus, unlike the Beatles, say, where each singer would take the lead on their own song and the others would back them up, there was always, with boyband songs, the difficulty of establishing who the protagoninst was. Are all five members of Boyzone singing to the same girl? Or is each singing half a sentiment to a different girl (or, don’t tell the tabloids, a boy?). The answer, of course, is yes: they are all singing to the same abstraction of a girl, who is the girl who is listening. This is evident by the contrast of the Spice Girls, who, with their debut single, sing as a gang about being a gang and invite the listener to join them, girls or, don’t tell the tabloids, boys. But five was always too many voices: too many to make narrative sense, too few to blend into a choir invisible. Three, while excessive, makes a bit more sense. Although Ringo can sing, the Beatles are really three singers. Crosby, Stills, and Nash are three. Any band comprised of ambitious songwriters will use as many voices as they can to bolster the sound and the narrative of each individual song. When none of the Attractions could sing, Elvis Costello just stacked dozens of himself to sound like the Beatles. And while the Trio is comprised of three successful songwriters in their own right (Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt), there is no doubt that they are presented here as singers and that singing is their sole goal. Only two songs are the record are written by members of the Trio - both Parton numbers - where Parton takes the lead vocal and the choruses are sung in the same exquisite three part harmony as the rest of the record. Three is fitting, of course, as the number three faces of feminity (maiden, mother, and hag) or of the holy trinity. The Trio is sold as the central personality of this record, but there is no personality to three-part harmony that doesn’t serve the personality of the song - none of these songs are trios in the same way that certain songs are duets. And, thus, the personages of three members disappear into the blur of the songs. You realise that the only protagonist that makes sense in such a set up in God (as father or as Christ) - surely he is the only person to whom three people can not only simultaneously sing To Know Him is to Love, but to sing it together. This is an old trick of Christian contemporary music - to address a love song to the lord without naming him. I don’t know if that is what is happening here, but it sure sounds like country gospel: beautifully sung, but too sweet, decent, and good. Even the hobos are in heaven. Even if the songs aren’t explicitly devotional, they behave like devotionals. They model a world in which difference resolves rather than clashes, offering the aesthetic of transcendence without the conditions for it Suffering exists, but it is already redeemed. What’s missing from Trio is not skill or beauty but negativity. No space for dissonance, no refusal, no crack where the Real might intrude. The ‘pain of loving you’ barely registers when the singing is so sweet. Harmony is not an achievement but a default state - something that feels soothing precisely because it asks nothing of us. Like the boy band singers, it is non-threatening, it adores but it doesn’t desire. 1 There is a lot to like here before you start listening. Three great voices. I particularly love Emmylou Harris‘ and whenever I hear her name I immediately summon up the image of her looking and sounding like an angel as she did in her segment singing Evangeline in the Last Waltz film. Dolly Parton…a legend with legendary songs and screen presence too - mesmerising in Best Little Whorehouse in Texas she is. Linda Ronstadt I also associate with a film. Somewhere Out There is a song I loved when I was very young and I remember being thrilled when I learned how to play it on recorder at Primary School. As impressive as Ronstadt’s voice is, however, the version I really liked was the two wee mice singing it in An American Tail. I listened again to both versions this morning. Ronstadt‘s duet with James Ingram is insipid trash. The mice are absolutely devastating. This just goes to show that talent isn’t everything - you need to have some kind of vision. If the vision underlying ‘Trio’ was a million copies sold, fair play - that’s what happened. The music though… I once attended a Thanksgiving party thrown by an American friend at University. One of the dishes was a Sweet Potato casserole with marshmallows in it. It was, impressively, both sickeningly sweet and bland. As I listened to Trio today I experienced a disgusted puzzlement which put me in mind of that dish. The singing is somehow at its least palatable here when they all sing together. The lyrics become meaningless - the melody loses any potency it might have had by being delivered with a spoonful or two of sugar. The backing is so gutlessly procedural that no harm, and perhaps even some benefit, would have been inflicted had these three superstars gathered at a church hall around a good keyboard and punched the demo button. Anyway, lots of folk bought this. And apparently that sweet potato/marshmallow goop is a genuinely popular traditional American dish for Thanksgiving - it wasn’t just students being stupid. 1/5

An early Parton album had previously come my way via this project. Which gave me an understanding of the admiration and respect Dolly Parton rightfully commands. Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris and Dolly joining forces, seemed like a good thing. But then I saw this was released in 1987. So this, unfortunately is an album more representative of my previous prejudices against Parton. Just tooooo heavy on the harmonies, too slow, not enough grit. Also, it's unfortunate the artwork post-production ended up making Ronstadt's hair quite a bit like the tip of a penis. Incompetence or intent?

top 3 - unsure. I don’t know how to feel. I’m just bored listening to this.

Overall: 2.3/10 Some of the instrumentation was good, but overall this is boring to me. I only liked one some and that was “I’ve Had Enough”. I think the way they’re singing is just boring, no soul, no runs, no extraness. There was nothing keeping me tuned in. I know there’s an audience for this, but I’m not it. I won’t be revisiting this album. The Pain of Loving You- not wow’ed Making Plans- It’s not hitting the ears fr. To Know Him is to Love Him- To be quite frank, this shit is boring. Hobo’s Meditation- Instrumentation is ok I guess. lol this sound of music is just not for me. Wildflowers- I’ve yet to like a single song so far. This one is the most tolerable so far. Telling Me Lies- Omgg this shit is boring. I usually like ballads but jeez. My Dear Companion- Not for me. Those Memories of You- Ok I want this album to end now. I’ve Had Enough- Ok I liked this one. The instrumentation was really good. Sounded like it should be in a movie. Rosewood Casket- Nope. Farther Along- Yayyy the last song!

Woof, I tried but could not handle the wailing

Bland beyond belief. I cannot see how people listen to this beigeness for pleasure.

Fy faen. Jolene er ikke en låt jeg er spesielt glad i, men det er i det minste en performance. Det her er strait trash for middelaldrende, conservative MAGA-fruer. "Musikk" for folk som synes deltakerne på show som America's Got Talent er artister. Det eneste imponerende med denne skiva, er frisyrene til trioen; tyngdekraften gjelder tydeligvis ikke alt og alle.

Why this was made?

i hate you 1001albumsgenerator.com

Интересная задумка – объединить трёх лучших исполнительниц жанра, но это всё ещё типичнейшее кантри. Безумно однообразное и утомительное. Лучшая песня: Rosewood Casket

I think the CIA use this as torture music.

All the considerable vocal talent on display here cannot compensate for the terrible material. Trite lyrics, shallow emoting and predictable melodies: everything that gives country music a bad name. Looking at the selection criteria for the 1001 list, I do not understand how this derivative garbage fulfils any of them to earn its place.

that's a no from me to country once again

Wildflowers Don't Care Where They Grow 1001 Albums Generator 145 (10/22/2025) My exposure to all three of these ladies is extremely limited. I am only aware of Linda Ronstadt from her contributions to Carly Bley's avant-garde jazz masterpiece, Escalator Over The Hill. I only know Dolly Parton from Jolene and Dollywood, and I don't know Emmylou Harris at all. What I do know is that their collaboration album, Trio, is unfortunately very boring. The genres on RateYourMusic make this out to be much more interesting than it actually is. To my untrained ear, Trio is run of the mill country, albeit with some very talented vocalists. These three ladies are all great singers and have voices that blend together pretty well. I don't have much to say, except that The Pain Of Loving You and Wildflowers are both alright, the guitar work in Those Memories Of You is good, and I will never return to this album. The soft, slow, orchestral songs like I've Had Enough overloaded my ears with cheese. I wish I was lactose intolerant. 1/5 feels so harsh for an album with some real talent behind it but I have to speak my truth okay. 1/5. Favs: The Pain Of Loving You Wildflowers Those Memories Of You Least Fav: I've Had Enough

Not for me. 1/5

Country.

Didnt love it.

1+ Stars (3/15)

Sorry if I offended anyone! As much respect as I have for Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, I can't listen to any more country music! I can understand why this album is on a list of albums to listen to before you die—it's definitely a killer! Seriously, it's one thing to listen to everything and keep an open mind and blah blah blah... but no one can be criticized for saying enough is enough, I can't listen to any more! Country music is definitely not my thing, I already feel depressed sometimes without needing this help. 1 because yes, it didn't make me feel good, unlike so many other albums :'-(

Sorry! It is insulting, enabling and boring. Maybe worse. Can we ask for a zero?

it was almost saved by farther along

i'm not dolly parton material

I don't think this will change your mind if you don't already like country, which sucks for me. There's no further depth in the lyrical process, the instrumental work isn't bad, but doesn't feel to me like it stands out with much frequency. It does feel like a classic piece of work, the vocals mesh very well and I can totally understand this being popular among a demographic other than mine. It's the sound you would associate with the southern USA. 1.2/5

Gear: Dunu SA6 Artwork: 👱‍♀️👩‍🦱👩‍🦰 Production (2015 Remaster): 🙄🤔🤷 Music: 🎤💅🌈 Rating: ⛽(⛽)/5

Pretty standard country and folk stuff. Great vocals and production, but nothing seems to be standing out. It would have been cool if these three wrote the songs together instead of doing mostly cover songs. I’ve Had Enough is the standout song here. After reading a review and getting some context for this project I have a better appreciation for it. Still not a huge fan.

country

If Johny Cash made me question the way I feel about country music for a moment, Dolly Parton set things stright back. I'm sorry, ladies, it sounds horrible.

Was the longest 39 minutes in recent memory. There's nothing "wrong" about this album, the arrangements are pleasant, the harmonies are lovely, but the songs are just awful. Depressing country, but middle-of-the-road, generic country music with a slight 80s twang to drag it even further down. It's bad enough for 1 star.

Really boring generic country

1.5 stars Not bad, I think. But not for me. Listening did nothing for me and I can’t imagine intentionally listening again. But it was offensive or anything.

Really don’t like this at all. Don’t enjoy any of the singers’ voices and the songs are basic country - one of my least favourite genres. One of the worst on the list so far.

Nope

Utter rubbish… disgraceful harmonization and pitiful acoustic performance.

Sorry Dolly not into it

I didn’t even finish it. After Wildflowers, I had hope then it was too much of singing in harmony. Not for me.

Disclaimer: I REALY don’t like country music, and this one felt like a country album intended for ladies in bad relationships with their man but who still have a good relationship with Jesus. This album is a hard pass for me. Linda Ronstadt got some pipes on her, and I like a good collaboration project as much as the next guy, but this was no duet with The Plow King. “🎶Mr. Plow is a loser, and I think he is a boozer…🎵So you better make that call to the Plow King🎵”

Noooooooo! One is bad enough, but three!

Trio of shite

Fell just the wrong side of annoying Country for me.

Yoicks! I don't care for country music, and I'm not a fan of any of these three ladies' music.

Jeg er med på at de synger godt, men gud hvor er det en kedelig plade. Lyder præcis som man forestiller sig når man kigger på coveret.

I don't like this type of music from this period of time.

Not exactly my ideal power trio. After The Jimi Hendrix Experience the previous day, moving on to this is like going from a bottle of fine Johnnie Walker Blue to a manky bowl of rice pudding that’s about a year or five out of date. Bland by design but also extremely gross. For a group that features Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt is the one with the worst hairpiece with those Eddie Munster/Lazytown stylings.

Not my style

Ufff

Gave up

Yeah, this was a tough listen, I struggle to picture the fanbase of this particular album. Was it that the three (very talented trio admittedly) had the same manager and thought it’ll be a good idea to combine them together in a kind of “dream team” kind of collaboration ? What do I know? This made it into the 1001 albums so a lot of people liked it but it’s not for me.

No.

Not exactly...

I hardly listened to it but I wasn’t continuing cuz I couldn’t get past this so I’m just giving it a 1 and moving on. Sorry

Große Namen, Countrygedudel, eigentlich können die drei es besser...

Really really good. But still a 1. A very strong 1.

Great voices - but definitely not my music

Well I must say, that was most unagreeable.

What new circle of hell is this?

My Country Album, The Gravity of My Firstworld Problems, features tracks such as: Why Aren't There any Childcare Places? That Hat Don't Match I Ordered a 5 but they Delivered a 9 Not Beyonce Enough Stil' Crushin' on the Mailman Every Cliché has a Rainbow ... and a cover of McArthur Park

Ouch, not for me, yawnville! I nearly fell asleep 3 times whilst listening. I had to google photos of Linda Ronstadt (younger, of course, but whatever), just to keep me awake.

Посмотрел на эти паблик ревью - и понял, что двоечки мне жалко. Женщины очень талантливые, но это от и до продукт времени, а вообще чувствуется, что уже в том времени эти песни звучали так себе с точки зрения лирики. Лучшая песня - Wildflowers.

It's bad but thankfully short.

No.

Country nope

Jälessä kaverit myöhässä tähä country hommeliin EI TULE IKINÄ SAAMAAN XTRA TÄHTEÄ DOLLY!!!

This was hard to get through. Not my style and all the slow songs are such a drag. Yuck.

No thanks

I dunno man I really couldnt care that much about country music. Significant 24/65 Liked 10/65 Added 3/65 No?? no and no

Not my cup of tea

Can’t do it. Bless their hearts tho!!!

Was like the same sad country song for what seemed like forever

Nope, can't do it. It's just too country. I'm sure it's brilliant within its genre, but it literally hurts my earballs.

Like a lot of roots music in the 1980s, this sounds awful by modern standards. I think it's the sound of the instruments but either way it's bad.

De bekende Amerikaanse country-klanken. Prima gezongen door de drie dames, maar al gedateerd toen het uitkwam.

Just so so twee, couldn't take it

Not my music at all. I just can’t listen to the whole record

yeee haw welcome to one star town, population any fucking cuntry album on this list.

Shite

No thanks!

I really tried, but it’s just not my kind of music.

Best: Those Memories of You Worst: Rosewood Casket Would probably be better if I liked country

A trio of country music vocal stars combine to create an insipid trope-laden country album that is less than the sum of its parts. Rating: 1.5/5 Playlist track: Telling Me Lies Date listened: 19/01/23

Country really isn't for me..... However, saying that, I didn't dislike this as much as I thought I would. Sorry Dolly et al. Also Dolly Parton has better songs than are on here

Nee dat hoeft echt niet.

Wat een verschrikkelijke jankmuziek. En voor die hoes en titel krijgen ze nog een extra ster aftrek.

Allemachtig! Dit was wederom niet te harden. Individueel zijn deze artiesten nog best ok, maar deze samenwerking was werkelijk van suikerspin-niveau.

Nope - too country

painful

Not a 1001 Cover art: Is there a worse cover. 0/5

væmið as fokk

Way too Country for me. And I quite like tge genre