With the recent passing of music legend Dolly Parton, it’s sometimes difficult to comprehend that Hello, I’m Dolly, her 1967 solo debut, is almost 60 years old. It’s also difficult to wrap one’s mind around the fact that she was only 21 when this was initially released, with some of the songs recorded when she was as young as her late teens.
It’s also a challenge to not listen to this without having the fact that Parton recently died at the age of 80 cloud the experience, or make one want to treat it with kid gloves. So, with a clean mental slate, we dive into its 12 tracks.
All but two of the songs are, at the least, co-written by Parton – again, an impressive fact on paper. But, it’s interesting to note that the strongest songs are among those that Parton co-wrote with Bill Owens, who was her uncle. Whether Owens was a seasoned veteran or not, he did seem to be an anchor in terms of the songwriting, as tracks such as “Put It Off Until Tomorrow,” “I Wasted My Tears” and “Fuel To The Flame” help to showcase the raw but developing talent that was Parton.
When she took the reins without any additional help, Parton’s output stumbled a little bit. “Your Ole Handy Man” is a decent enough effort, but “Something Fishy” is, honestly, a little sophomoric. (And, no… I’m not blind to the fact that it was her first Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. I still think it’s too silly.) Fortunately for Parton, “I’m In No Condition” reaffirms her solo songwriting skills.
What might be the best known track on Hello, I’m Dolly is one she didn’t even write, but might have been the summary of who she would become in the history books. “Dumb Blonde” quickly puts the stereotype of the song’s subject into question, and, through the music and words of Curly Putman, proves she was more than the iconic hair. Funny thing, though, is it’s not the strongest track on the disc.
Like a lot of country music from this period of time, the overall sound still had a lot of influence from popular music flowing in its veins. So, while Hello, I’m Dolly is most certainly a country music album, the sound almost offers concrete proof early on that Parton would eventually rightfully earn a place in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (though the sound also cannot be labeled rock, per se).
Hello, I’m Dolly proves to be an enjoyable, if somewhat tentative, first step for Parton. I can’t say I’d honestly find myself going back to this one as often as I might with her later albums, but, at just over 28 minutes, it’s a nice palate cleaner, as well as a fairly interesting first picture of the artist before she achieved superstardom.
