Home for Christmas

Dolly Parton

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 15, 1990)
• Original Release Date: December 22, 1990
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000027DU
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13,184 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

On Home for Christmas, Dolly serves up the type of country Christmas feast that only she could deliver, complete with all her Smokey Mountain fixins. Like Dolly, this collection is sometimes traditional and other times way, way, way over the top. But that's why you love her (that, or you don't buy her records). Dolly's at her best here with her torch-and-twang rendition of "I'll Be Home for Christmas," and the yee-haw hoe-down reeling that she slaps through "Go Tell It on the Mountain." "The First Noel" begins with a standard chorus before getting a kick-start from the band, and "Joy to the World" really rocks out. (By Dolly's standards, that is.) Her spoken-word reminiscing about her childhood memories in the Smokeys is touching, but a similar reading during "Rudolph" is almost painful. Great for fans--but where oh where is "Rock Candy Christmas?" --Steve Gdula

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Christmas Album, November 27, 2002

By	James Fenos "music freak" (Columbus, OH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The dulcimer intro on "We Three Kings" took me by surprise. How classy is that?? Dolly manages to take an album of covers (technically) and makes the songs uniquely hers. For the country fan, there's lots of twang which seemed to stand out on her Columbia albums, not to mention a slant toward gospel. This album is a nice mix of secular and non-secular music. With Dolly's strength, I would have loved to hear her tackle more difficult songs in the way of "O Holy Night" or "Ave Maria." Dolly has taken standards like "I Get A Kick Out Of You" and turned it into bluegrass romp. Maybe a bluegrass holiday album might be in the not too distant future and Dolly will take on more difficult fare. In the meantime, Dolly's in fine voice and it's clear she had a great time making this cd.

The only mis-step is the spoken intro at the beginning of the album and the congregation style choir and preacher on "The First Noel" and again spoken verse on "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer." Outside of these teeny details, this is a fine album to play as you hang your ornaments on the tree.

Happy Holidays!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure as Christmas Snow, November 7, 2001

By A Customer

This is one Christmas album to own. Even if you are not a Dolly fan it does not matter. Dolly's voice oozes Christmas joy. The album is a collection of joyful hardcore Christmas songs such as "The First Noel" and "We Three Kings" and Contempory such as "Rudolph" and "Santa is Coming to Town." We these songs she brings along children to sing with her, creating the childlike magic of Christmas. There are some very powerful singing on these album that bring to the heart the joy and amazement that Christmas songs can bring. "The First Noel" and "Joy to the World," Dolly used to unquie voice to raise the standards by which these songs have been sung to new heights. "The Little Drummer Boy" is also done with breathtaking vocal power. And "I'll Be Home for Christmas" is by far the most beautifully sung song on the album. Now no song on this was written by Dolly but if you want to hear some Dolly originals, listen to Dolly and Kenny "Once Upon a Christmas."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dolly brings her personality and style to old classics, August 26, 2004

By	Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan" (Leicester England) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Any initial disappointment I felt when I discovered that this album was filled was standards didn't last long. The songs have all been covered many times before - some more than others, though Dolly was careful not to repeat any of the songs that appeared on her first Christmas offering, Once upon a Christmas, which she recorded with Kenny Rogers.

Dolly's exuberant personality makes itself evident on such joyous songs as Jingle bells, which never sounded so much fun. I really want to jingle thos bells when I hear Dolly sing that song. With a country church congregation on First Noel and Joy to the world, and a children's chorus on Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer and Santa Claus is coming to town, Dolly brings many elements to this Christmas album. We three kings is another stand-out track here and (along with Jingle bells) is my favorite.

Dolly clearly loves Christmas and enjoyed making this very upbeat album. With so many familiar songs full of Christmas cheer, this is a great party album.