Dolly Parton makes her thought process clear in the very first song on her new, well tempered, and completely addictive new album Better Days, "In The Meantime": what matters is not what ever happens before or after but rather during our life. The song begins with a sharp harp before her terrific band jumps in and Dolly, as sweet as a bird, nails down as clear a philosophy as imaginable.
From there, Parton mixes her version of songs she wrote for the Broadway Musical "9 to 5", a Mac Davis co-sponsored country ode, and a fistful of bright eyed but not blind eyed country pop songs. It mixes well, her recent forays into bluegrass sidelined for what is turning into a hugely successful album. # 1 on the country charts as we speak, and Top 10 Billboard 200.
If you love Dolly you know what you're getting, when she is not putting her man in his place, she is pulling him up and pulling him towards her.; when she is not yearning on the frankly lovely "Somebody's Missing You", she is sinking his ship on "Get Out And Stay Out" and on song after song, she finds kernels of happiness. From the title track to "Let Love Grow' to "Shine Like the Sun", there is a positive beyond self-help and straight into a guide for living. Oh, and always God lurking in the background!
And all the way through, her sweet upbeat, even when pained soprano, hasn't lost a thing. This is a remarkable vocal performance at the behest of simply great songs on a very fine album. Her best in years. Grade: A