Hungry Again

Dolly Parton

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 25, 1998)
• Original Release Date: August 25, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B00000ADG5
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #82,308 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

In 1997, middle-aged, no longer viable at radio, and as she later said, "not knowing exactly what I should be doing in my musical career," Parton returned to the Tennessee mountain cabin of her youth to "write like I was hungry again." The result is an album that revives her reputation as a country singer/songwriter and allows her to sing, to testify even, with the kind of authentic, fiery passion absent from her recordings for nearly three decades. Backed by the hang-loose, alt-country band Shinola, Parton performs a stirring and, at times, deeply moving set of autobiographical songs with two interlaced themes: the pain of romantic rejection ("I Still Lost You"), and a homecoming to reflect on a life at the crossroads ("I Wanna Go Back There"). Nearly all of it--the retro-trad of "Honky Tonk Songs," the incest ballad "Blue Valley Songbird," the searching gospel of "Shine On"--seems born of hard-won experience. Hungry Again isn't just Dolly's return to her rural roots. It's the sound of an artist who's found herself again. --Alanna Nash

Country Music Magazine

Parton is again writing and crooning simple-but- wise stories about mountain folk, their families and their love affairs. And she has given these new songs down-home arrangements that keep the vocals out front.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Back to Her Roots, October 29, 2003

By	Jake Z "holden84" (Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Through Dolly Parton's career, she's went through many changes with her image and her music. HUNGRY AGAIN is a return to her roots, as it's her most stripped back album since her early career. Much through the late 80s and 90s, she tried contemporary country with varied results, but ultimately there was no longer any room in their format for Dolly, which is ludacrous, but at least she took it in stride and has made this music. The album is very simple, but the lyrics pack an emotional punch. During the recording of this album, Dolly fasted and wrote the music during this period. This is a return to her original, traditional country sound. She was signed with Decca at the time, but a few months after the album was released, the label folded, and Dolly was left without a label. That is until she signed with the indie label Sugar Hill.

She released two singles from this album. The first was "Honky Tonk Songs", a song where she asks "Why don't more women sing honky tonk songs?" which is a nice statement to make. The second single was "The Salt In My Tears", a typical Dolly song that is just fun and tongue in cheek. "Blue Valley Songbird" was used for her TV movie of the same name. There's some really nice ballads here like "Paradise Road", which is a very autobiographical song for her, or the ballads "I Still Lost You", "I'll Never Say Goodbye", etc. The uptempo songs "The Camel's Heart" and "Time and Tears" are just fun and a light hearted look at heartbreak. There's some inspirational songs as well, in the form of "Shine On" and "When Jesus Comes Calling For Me". She has never sounded better, but she continues to get better. HUNGRY AGAIN is a truly remarkable album that should not go unnoticed.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Authentic and Real, December 30, 2004

By	Michael R. Nothstine (Wilmore, Ky) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have been a fan of Dolly Parton for six or seven years now. This cd is an excellent authentic and a real soulful recording. Dolly is at her best when she sings roots music from the hills of Tennessee. Dolly Parton is one of the greatest songwriters of all times and she penned all of these songs herself.

Some of my favorite are the driving song "The Salt In My Tears," The high lonesome lullaby "Blue Valley Songbird," the poetic gospel song "When Jesus Comes Calling For Me, and "Paradise Road" and "Shine On." A few of the songs do not really stand out like "I Still Lost You" or "Honky Tonk Songs," but most of the album is wonderfully written and sung. Dolly Parton has a magical, unique, and soulful voice, there is no doubt about that. If you like country music and you like Dolly Parton this is a pretty dang good album to own. I love the honesty, simplicity, and depth of her words and voice. She is definitely a national treasure.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best CD's ever recorded, January 12, 2004

By A Customer

I can't go on enough how much I love this CD. I love the story of how Dolly went back to shack she grew up in and fasted and
wrote songs like her next meal depended on them.
Every song on this CD is excellent. I can never get enough of
it. It is country music the way it used to be. the songs are
the way Dolly used to write. Her lyrics are so clever and the
band playing on the CD hits every beat. Buy this CD and you will fall in love with Dolly Parton's music all over again