In 2018 I started my project to review all of Dolly Parton’s solo discography in order of release. Here is the master list of links to all the reviews I have completed so far. This list will be updated as and when I complete the reviews! Continue reading “Dolly Parton’s Discography – Album Reviews List”
Why can’t we love one another? Why can’t we ride on the peace train?
Dolly Parton is often described as being an apolitical figure, one who refuses to speak out on controversial issues or align herself to a political party. However like many other cultural and spiritual icons before her, throughout her career Dolly has been a subtle but significant force for progressive change.
You could argue that it is exactly because Dolly has risen above the party political divide that she has been able to so successfully use her voice to support causes like literacy, women’s rights, LGBT rights, rural poverty and more recently healthcare and vaccine research.
Dolly’s message in her music and her life is one of peace and harmony, seen clearly on this diverse and inclusive 1996 covers album Treasures. Continue reading “Dolly Parton’s Discography – Treasures (1996)”
Last year Senora May decided to record an album of love songs in response to the pandemic and an increasingly divided world. “I was sick of all the hate I saw people spewing,’ she said in a recent interview, perfectly summing up how many of us feel about the overwhelmingly toxic online (and offline) spaces we have found ourselves existing in. All of My Love is a welcome antidote to the chaos and a reminder that love and music are all we really need to get by. Continue reading “Album Review: Senora May – All of My Love”
As painful as it is to lose someone, within the devastation of grief something sacred is found. Anika Pyle, formerly of Chumped and katie ellen, began working on her debut solo album Wild River after the death of her father, honouring his memory with a stunning collection of songs and spoken word poetry. Continue reading “Album Review: Anika Pyle – Wild River”
Tiffany Williams released her wonderful debut EP When You Go in 2019, a collection of songs which explored her Kentucky roots as a coal miner’s daughter. Her follow up I’ll Be Back Soon is another EP of heartbreakingly beautiful songs, about doomed relationships and shattered dreams. Continue reading “EP Review: Tiffany Williams – I’ll Be Back Soon”
Founding member of the Supremes Mary Wilson has sadly died at the age of 76, leaving behind a lasting legacy in Motown and music history. While the famous story of the band’s unravelling pits Diana Ross against Florence Ballard, the narrative that is often overlooked is how Mary survived as a Supreme through the whole ordeal, continuing the band after Ballard was dismissed and Ross went stratospherically solo. Mary’s story is one of quiet endurance and commitment to performance and style – beautifully told in her recent book ‘Supreme Glamour’. Continue reading “Remembering Mary Wilson and her ‘Supreme Glamour’”
Something Special is a short album of ten songs, including three re-recorded versions of Dolly’s biggest hits. There’s no attempt to court the modern country charts or push her sound into any new directions. Instead we have some nice, middle of the road piano ballads and gentle vocal performances which tell us that at this stage in her career Dolly was content to embrace her middle age. Continue reading “Dolly Parton’s Discography: Something Special (1995)”
In a recent interview, The Staves rallied against early expectations put upon them by the industry, who wanted the band of sisters to be ‘sad, frail girls with long wavy hair.’ On their new album ‘Good Woman’ they challenged themselves to expand their sonic horizons and free themselves from their pretty, polished past. Continue reading “Album Review: The Staves – Good Woman”
Mixing soft spoken word poetry, understated soul and indie pop Arlo Parks’s new album ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’ has a uniquely fresh style which sets her apart in the current British music scene. Continue reading “Album Review- Arlo Parks – Collapsed in Sunbeams”
