CD REVIEW: Dolly Parton - Rainbow

1987 was set to be a big year for Dolly Parton. Fresh with a new $44 million two-year contract for a primetime variety show on ABC and a new recording contract with Columbia Records which included a deal where Dolly would record separate pop and country albums, Dolly's career looked to be on fire. Dolly would start this new chapter of her recording career with her first ever purely pop album, Rainbow.

But things didn't go quite as planned. Dolly debuted with high ratings, but quickly declined and was cancelled after only one season. And Rainbow didn't fare any better, peaking at #18 on the Billboard country album charts and #153 on the Billboard pop album charts. The album's first single, "The River Unbroken," peaked at #63 on the Billboard country charts, with the second single, "I Know You By Heart" with Smokey Robinson, not charting at all, and both singles missed Billboard's Hot 100. The album is considered one of Dolly's biggest flops and has been long forgotten by all but the biggest Dolly fans.

I only discovered this album...I'd say sometime last year. And although it's no Coat Of Many Colors, Jolene, or even Backwoods Barbie, I think it's quite good and deserves another listen, and for the time and sound...I really don't understand why it wasn't more successful. (You can find a download here. Just a note - tracks 3, 6, and 8 are mislabeled in the download, likely due to discrepancies between CD mastering and tracklistings found on many websites, including the databases feeding the track information to media players. Track 3 is labeled Dump The Dude, but is actually Everyday Hero. Track 6 is labeled Could I Have Your Autograph, but is actually Everyday Hero. Track 8 is labeled Could I Have Your Autograph but is actually Dump The Dude. Just a heads up for you guys.) I'll be reviewing the tracks in the order that the CD's back cover lists them.

1. The River Unbroken - This is actually a really good song. I'd go so far as to say it's one of her more underrated tracks. I'd love for her to re-record this on a future album.

2. I Know You By Heart - A great ballad that brings two of our finest singers together. The song would later be covered by Bette Midler for the soundtrack to the film Beaches, best known for her signature hit Wind Beneath My Wings.

3. Dump The Dude - One of the mose cheesetastic and fun songs ever. It's as close to the classic fun Dolly songs like 9 To 5 and Here You Come Again as you can get on this album.

4. Red Hot Screaming Love - A decent ballad that really could have been better. The title alone made me expect something different. But it's still listenable.

5. Make Love Work - An improvement over the last track, but not much. Dolly makes it work though.

6. Everyday Hero - Basically a rip-off (lyrical content-wise) of Bon Jovi's monster hit Livin' On A Prayer, but it's a favorite of mine, especially for the bridge, which is where the album's title comes from - "Everybody has a special reason/There's a chosen road to follow/Just remember nothing good comes easy/Don't surrender till you you find your rainbow."

7. Two Lovers - A cover of Mary Wells' (best known for her hit My Guy) 1962 hit. It's an okay cover, but not much special.

8. Could I Have Your Autograph - One of only two Dolly originals on the album. A very fun song about strangers meeting and wanting to know more about each other.

9. Savin' It For You - My favorite song on Rainbow. A happy fun song simply about being in love.

10. More Than I Can Say - The other Dolly-penned track on the album is a gorgeous ballad that shows that whether she's singing pop, country, or whatever that she's still one of our most talented songwriters. Dolly would later re-use the melody for the title track from her made-for-TV movie Unlikely Angel.

To sum it all up, Rainbow is definitely worth a few spins in your MP3 player. Naturally, Dolly does a fabulous job singing the songs, and they're not any better or any worse than most hits of the day. While it's not a masterpiece that can stand alongside some of her classic country material, it's definitely an underrated album that shows off Dolly's pop talents. I give the album 8 stars out of 10.