Zack: There are a lot of albums that I’ve listened to that just seem to drag on forever. This is not one of them. Partly, that is because the songs are so simple, yet graciously performed by what can only be described as one of the most underappreciated musicians of the past 50 years that they just seem to fly by. It’s also partly because this album is less than 28 minutes long. I mean, hot damn! Why can’t some more of our albums been that short. I’m looking at, Captain Beefheart. Also that 99 song album that we’re going to have to listen to some point down the road which I am not looking forward to that at all. Coat of Many Colors gives you all those wacky subgenres of country in one shot. It’s got your country-pop, ballad country, country-rock, etc. Could have used a little bit more cowpunk but I’ll let it go this one time. When she drifts over more towards the country-rock or country-pop, I felt more engaged. That’s probably more due to personal preferences though. The signature and title track of this album doubles as both the opener and high-point. After doing a little bit or research, I determined that the three worst songs on the album just so happened to be the ones not written by Dolly as well. What I’m trying to say is that you suck, Porter Wagoner. Ultimately, the conclusion this album left me with is that there are some legitimately talented country musicians out there. They’re just all old and decrepit now. But if country music started to feature less ridiculous b2a (boot-to-ass) based songs and more of the Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash kind of stuff I’ve been lucky enough to listen to up to this point, I may start to become a country music fan.
Favorite Tracks: Coat of Many Colors; Here I Am; Early Morning Breeze
Emily: Aside from twang and being generally disliked in major metropolitan areas, country music is known for its intensely personal songwriting. Oftentimes the stories tend to blend together into a lot of variations on “woe is me I can’t find love in this gosh darn town.” Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors, however, breaks that mold. For non-country fans Dolly is best known for her over-the-top personality and shameless love of surgical enhancements, but she really is one hell of a storyteller. This album, which Parton wrote almost entirely on her own, tells her story of growing up poor with heartfelt honesty and emotion. While I wasn’t always a fan of the music behind the lyrics (as I expected), I was completely drawn in by the story.
Favorite Tracks: Traveling Man; Coat of Many Colors; Early Morning Breeze
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