Customer Reviews

Heartsongs-Live From Dollywood

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Being raised as a Dolly Parton fan for over twenty four years I find no problem swearing up and down that this is the best record she has ever produced. Beautifully realistically raw. This record takes captive the very heart which is Dolly Parton. Her reindition of Barbara Allen and In the Pines is absolutely wonderful. This is a must have CD. And all honestly it has remained through out the years as my favorite CD in my over 300 CD collection of country music. This is a must have CD. Get it today.

Dolly Parton is a favorite of mine. All of these songs are continuously played at Dollywood. All of these songs have meaning and are really good. You aren't wasting your money on this CD. She's basically sharing her life story with you but in the form of song. Most of these songs are already well know like Coat of Many Colors and My Tennessee Mountain Home. Others aren't well known but just as good.

I was at the concert while this was being recorded and remember it well! I highly recommend this to all Dolly fans, for it is pure entertainment! You will not be displeased. I am not usually motivated to buy "live" concert recordings, but this one is great.

This CD was very good. It had songs that I had grew up listenning to, and some songs that I have not heard. If you are a Dolly Parton fan, You really should check this CD out. I feel confident that you will enjoy it as much as I have.

This is The best Dolly CD.i just got this cd and i lisned to it and it is great!i am a fan of dolly's music so i decided to get it.i am glad i did.if you are a dolly fan than i suggest this one.

I'm a bit biased in the sense that I'm a huge fan of Dolly Parton (and have been since before I can remember). That said, this CD still impresses me. I remember going to Wal-mart sometime right after I finished high school and seeing it as a new release. Of course I had to buy it 'cause it was a new Dolly CD.
This is a beautiful collection of songs--mostly songs that are about family, about life in the smoky mountains, and that relate to Dolly's life growing up in eastern Tennessee. The musicians that back her up are quite a collection as well. Alison Krauss, Suzanne Cox, Rhonda Vincent, Pig Robbins, and Jimmy Mattingly (to name a few) show up here and the result is some really great music.
In addition, there's great Dolly banter between songs, showing off her charm and wit. It's touching, funny, moving ... one of my favorite Dolly CDs. If you want to enjoy a Dolly concert (which is a rare opportunity), this CD is a close second. The tracks are not as familiar as those on "Live and Well" (her new live CD) but I would suggest that this is the superior live album.

It is hard to believe but "Heartsongs" is Dolly Parton's only second live album in her catalogue, with the first being the amazing "A Real Live Dolly" released by RCA Records way back in 1970. "Heartsongs" certainly isn't one of Dolly's best records, but it does contain some cool gems, among them the remakes of her "Coat of Many Colors" and "My Tennessee Mountain Home" songs. Other greats include "Brave Little Soldier", her new recording of "To Daddy", a song Dolly recorded originally for her 1976 LP "All I Can Do" album, but dropped it at the last minute when Emmylou Harris expressed an interest in recording it, giving Emmy a #3 hit in 1978. Finally, Dolly does the campy "PMS Blues" the only way Dolly can.

"Heartsong's" failed to make a huge dent on the charts going only as far as #16 on the Country Charts and #87 pop.

The record was recorded at the "Celebrity Theatre" at Dollywood in 1994.

Dolly established her theme park in the region of East Tennessee where she was born and raised, and sometimes performs there herself. These recordings were made in 1994, and remind us of Dolly's musical as well as her geographical roots.

Dolly performs several of her own oldies. It would have been interesting to hear some of her pop-country hits like Here you come again given a traditional country treatment, but Dolly avoided those. However, it is nice to hear new versions of My blue tears, Applejack, Coat of many colors and My Tennessee mountain home. Longer than always is a song Dolly first recorded as a duet with Porter Wagoner, but titled Is forever longer than always. Smoky mountain memories was originally recorded for Burlap and satin, but titled Appalachian memories.

Most interesting of all is the inclusion of To daddy. Dolly originally recorded this in 1976 for the All I can do album, then let her friend Emmylou hear it. Emmylou immediately recorded it herself and Dolly dropped it from the album, replacing it with another song. The original version eventually appeared on a compilation, The essential Dolly Parton.

Traditional songs are also included, among them Mary of the wild moor, In the pines, Barbara Allen and Wayfaring stranger, as well as a couple of country golden oldies - I'm thinking tonight of my blue eyes and Night train to Memphis.

The song I like the best is PMS Blues, it is hilarious! A very lively album!