Dolly Parton - Greatest Hits (CD)

All Music Guide

This Dolly Parton greatest hits collection from BMG International doesn't include anything from her early days with Porter Wagoner, instead beginning with material from Jolene, Parton's first proper solo album. The title track appears here, as does her original version of "I Will Always Love You". From there, the album continues through the 1970s, and sticks mostly to countrified sounds like "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." and "Mama Say a Prayer". It does dabble in Parton's late '70's pop-ish crossover material, most notably with the inclusion of "Here You Come Again", which squeezes Dolly's outsized voice into a constricting arrangement. Of course, "9 to 5" appears, but that's where this collection ends, suggesting that a better name for it might have been "Solo Dolly: The First Ten Years."

- Johnny Loftus , All Music Guide