Dolly Parton has been making solid to brilliant albums for decades and we don't have to go into her crossover appeal that paved the way for Shania or how the Dixie Chicks have ridden her bubbly sheen of country to their own genre bending career, but we need to talk about how Country Radio has smacked this woman in the face and ignored her for helping to sustain it and bring in new listeners.

Dolly's new disc is great with some truly outstanding cuts. She didn't pen every song on the disc and there are covers. "Tracks of my Tears" sticks close to the Smokey Robinson original but I love it. Dolly's almost innocent vocal and the opening lines of that song fit her personality perfectly, giving a hidden wink and nod to the lyrics.

"Drives Me Crazy" gets a bit of a rework, more of a barn burner; it's cute and you won't skip it when you hear it. But the true foot stomper is "Shinola" Dolly's kiss off number with grit and wit -- showing Gretchen Wilson and Miranda Lambert how to kick a man out like a mule, but with class.

Then there are the outstanding songs. "Cologne" is worth the price of the disc alone, building from a sweet opening sigh then straight into a relationship where what most likely attracted the lover must be repressed to conceal their relationship. Then there is "Made of Stone," a 180 to the previous number, scorned love and with desperation in her voice with swelling back up singers pushing her along -- PERFECTION!

"The Lonesomes" and "I Will Forever Hate Roses" are the rest of the best. Dolly doesn't seem to be updating her sound, begging for radio acceptance. But it sounds like a great Dolly Parton album that somehow went unreleased when she was at her mainstream peak.

So many great country artists are just being ignored on the radio. She gets the ovations, she puts the butts in the seats, but when will radio give what listeners want? We want Dolly dang it!

Being a huge Dolly Parton fan, I have continued to buy each release without hearing it first, even though the last couple of CDs have disappointed me. With BACKWOODS BARBIE, I have just decided that enough is enough. THE GRASS IS BLUE and LITTLE SPARROW were creations in the right direction, the former being one of Dolly's best ever. But since then, Parton has crept back towards pop-country schlock. This has worked for her in the past (HEARTBREAKER, HERE YOU COME AGAIN and REAL LOVE being some of the better examples), but I can't say that what she's doing now comes close to duplicating her former glory as a popster. The best songs here are covers, my favorite being "Tracks of My Tears," and the more traditional country-type things. I'd say that fifty percent of this new effort will be keepers to include in my iTunes library, and that's not too bad when considering that most pop albums out there fare no better. "Only Dreamin'" is really pretty, and "The Lonesomes" has a nice, old-timey feel. Dolly rocks some on "Drives Me Crazy" and "Shinola." The rest of the CD is undistinguished, and as honest as her lyrics can be, Dolly is not presenting us with anything new, here, and I'm a little tired of hearing about how she is misunderstood because of her looks. She chose her look, and whining about people's judging her book by its cover should be completely beneath her by now. I don't believe this latest from Dolly holds up next to her better material, despite the high production values and slick presentation, but it's not dreadful, either. My suggestion, as a loving fan, to Dolly: try something completely new, next time!

No exaggeration. Surrounded by other new releases this month that are not nearly as dynamic, "Backwoods Barbie" is a standout, and perhaps one of the greatest new releases this year. It has been a long time since I've purchased an album and listened to it without using the skip button. Every track is solid. For those of you who may not be a fan of this artist, forget this artist for a minute. It is simply the best in modern Country music. After spending the last few years exploring Bluegrass music, Dolly parton has returned to country, but this time somehow you can feel she's brought all she has learned from her vast musical history.

Dolly's "Backwoods Barbie" cd has so many great songs on it, and a little bit of something for a variety of musical tastes. The title track is a pure country Dolly autobiographical tune, while "She Drives Me Crazy" is a lot of fun for anyone who was young when the original version was released. "Jesus and Gravity" is such a wonderful, spiritual song, and probably will be up next to "He's Alive" out of her greatest gospel songs. Dolly sings her heart out on every song and puts so much emotion into each one. The overall feel of it is like her early 90's album "Hungry Again", but updated with a lot more musical styles, including the blues number "The Lonesomes". And I can't forget to mention the upbeat "Shinola" in which Dolly gives off some sass! I've been waiting for this cd for a while and I was not disappointed!

Dolly Parton returns to her country pop leanings on "Backwoods Barbie". After doing several bluegrass/mountain music albums, she has gone back to her traditional country sound. There are really only two songs on the album that don't hit the mark, "Better Get To Livin'" which to me is too much of a novelty song and her cover of The Fine Young Cannibals "Drives Me Crazy" which just sounds a bit too cheesy (although the end of the track redeems it somewhat). The stand out tracks are "Jesus & Gravity", "Cologne", "Shinola" and "Only Dreamin'". The tracks "Made Of Stone" and "I Will Forever Hate Roses" recall Dolly's sound from the early 70's. Overall this is a solid collection from Dolly. Sadly, I doubt radio will pick up much from the album (although "Cologne" and "Shinola" could both be hit singles). It would be interesting to see what would happen if Dolly were to team up with say a Jack White like Loretta Lynn did a couple years ago or with Rick Rubin as Johnny Cash and The Dixie Chicks did. Her lyrics have always been her strength, but give her a modern producer and she could very well get another "Here You Come Again" or "9 to 5".
Great album, horrible album cover, but luckily you don't judge an album by it's cover!