4/5
A Parton In A Family Tree
Straight out of Dollywood and into a crowded Christmas market, New Music Friday, featuring Gwen Stefani, Mary J. Blige, St. Vincent, Linkin Park, Jon Batiste and Jin of BTS, we're not in Nashville any more. More the 'Smoky Mountain DNA' of Dolly Parton's 'Tennessee Mountain Home' and the 'Family, Faith & Fables' that all come from those parts. Since the age of social distance, Dolly has stayed close, locking it down. Almost 80, but always giving 100%, like Willie Nelson or Clint Eastwood, still on top of their respective games. Whether giving us 'A Holly Dolly Christmas' in the lonely 2020, as well as the Netflix Xmas movie 'Christmas On The Square'. Or the 'Run, Rose, Run' album two years later, alongside the novel of the same name, written with legendary bookstore author James Patterson. A year after, and the last one to be exact, the genre bending Dolly showed she was a 'Rockstar'. Now, just in time for Christmas, she's back again, as she returns to her roots.
Dolly Parton & Family's 'Smoky Mountain DNA-Family, Faith & Fables' marks Parton's eighteenth collaborative album (there are forty-nine solo sets), and first since her 'Trio II' sequel with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt in 1999. Now, from the beautiful introduction and outro bookends, to the almost two-hour runtime this cinematic album is a black and white, photo album journey into the love, life and light of Dolly and family. 'I Just Stopped By' she sweetly sings on one of the best numbers of a thirty-seven track masterpiece that is released years ago would be her magnum opus...but she has her whole rock and roll Hall of Fame career for all that. After releasing a recipe book, Dolly is cooking up even more, as the rich heritage of this family album has a four-part docuseries on deck, soon to come. "I cannot believe that it has been 60 years this month since I graduated from Sevier County High School and moved to Nashville to pursue my dreams," Dolly tells us. "My Uncle Bill Owens was by my side for many years helping me develop my music. I owe so much to him and all the family members past and present who have inspired me along this journey. I am honored to spotlight our families’ musical legacy."
In classic collaboration with Owepar Entertainment, Dolly blends music from her paternal Parton family to her mother's Owens one. Taking us from East Tennessee, USA, all the way back to the United Kingdom in the 1600s, where the first seeds of this family tree were planted. Appalachia culture and the proud and profound words and writing of both families show how they play together in perfect harmony, with songwriting in their DNA. Dolly's country cousin Richie Owens produces this lasting LP of legacy for the legend. And it's generational, featuring family members present and past, as those ancestors pass down the songwriting craft. It's a beautiful bond, honed in a classic sound. You can hear it on the mesmerizing medley of 'Singing His Praise/Daddy Was An Old Time Preacher Man'. From a 'Rosewood Casket' to a 'I'll Live In Glory'. No one is ever gone far. "I'll meet you in the morning by the bright riverside/When all the sorrow has drifted away/I'll be standin' at the portals when the gates open wide/At the close of life's long weary day," Dolly promises on 'I'll Meet You In The Morning."
'Where Will We Live Tomorrow', the family asks in these current, not so great times to make it in America. "My mother left my daddy, ran away with another man/It wasn't very long until my daddy married again/They had a little boy they called Jimmy, my half brother/They said he was just like my dad, and I was like my mother", Dolly and Dorothy Jo Owens sing together on 'Runaway Girl'. From an instrumental 'Grooms Tune/Bonaparte's Retreat', to new favourites like 'Tell Me That You Love Me' and 'A Rose Won't Fix It', loving and breaking, this album has so much as the 'Crops Came In', watering this legacy tree, relatively singing. But it's on 'The Orchard' where we can really see it all bloom. Jada Star devoting "My grandmother/She was kind and held a wisdom like no other/Her words echo deep inside my heart/We're never apart" the blessing, like the 'Holy Water' that comes after. This one touches your head like the Holy Spirit's water of a cross. In the name of all the father's and family members that show us, music and family are akin to religion. No matter which side you pray to. It's no fable 'When It's Family'. Just the faith that no mountaintop could climb to claim. In the midst of what looks like smoke, that spirit will run through your DNA for generations of lifetimes. TIM DAVID HARVEY.
Playlist Picks: 'My Tennessee Mountain Home', 'I Just Stopped By, 'Where Will We Live Tomorrow'.
Spin This: Dolly Parton - 'Run, Rose, Run'
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