Stream Dolly Parton’s new album ‘Blue Smoke’

If all you know of Dolly Parton is her cheesy pop/country music from the 80s, you are missing out on her later years–returning to her roots. Dolly Parton was born in Sevier County, Tennessee in 1946. Born “dirt poor, the fourth of twelve children,” there is little doubt she grew up hearing Appalachian folk songs sung by older musicians never influenced by the advent of recordings. The microphone changed many things about how we experience music and view musicians. The (primitive) microphone, itself, altered the tone, volume and articulation of most singers while the ability to ‘own’ a recording (what a crazy concept!), tempted the public to view music as wallpaper–an accessory to their lives.

As striking and beautiful as Dolly Parton’s soprano voice is, it’s never pretty for the sake of prettiness. Her musicianship is in service to the words and spirit of the music and it’s in the moment. I never get a sense that she is laying down a definitive vocal. If she did the song a hundred times it would always be somewhat different. I tend to appreciate darker and what you might call ‘uglier’ voices like Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Woody Guthrie, Clarence Ashley or Roscoe Holcomb–but I rank her up there with these other legends in her ability to make magic with words. Make sure you catch her take on the traditional, “Banks of the Ohio,” for an example of this primitive folk sound I’m speaking of (track 6 below).

Stream her album here from Youtube:

iTunes link.