All I Can Do

1976's All I Can Do was Dolly Parton's last album produced by longtime mentor and frequent duet partner

Porter Wagoner, though this time out Parton co-produced, and one can sense Dolly was straining slightly at the bit on these sessions. While the clear mountain purity of Parton's vocals was as beautiful as ever, the backing musicians generated the rhythmic insistence of a rock and roll band on cuts like "Shattered Image" and "The Fire That Keeps You Warm", and this was one of Dolly's first clear gestures towards a crossover career. However, despite the country-rock accents on All I Can Do, Parton's songwriting had changed little, and "When The Sun Goes Down Tonight", "I'm A Drifter" and "All I Can Do" are all tales of life in the south that resonate with emotional honesty and a nostalgia whose sweetness finds room for bitter truths. Similarly, "Preacher Tom" is a song of faith that's as country as cornbread, and just as satisfying. Parton's covers of Emmylou Harris's "Boulder to Birmingham and Merle Haggard's "Life's Like Poetry" are inspired, and the production is simple, straightforward and suits Parton's vocals perfectly. A few years on, Parton's career and public persona would go through a lot of changes, but All I Can Do serves as a reminder her commitment to country music was always real, and that she was a first class talent before she became a multi-media star.

1976年8月 30岁的美国乡村乐波霸巨星Dolly Parton发行第17张大碟,个人谱写八曲, 专辑由Dolly与长期伙伴Porter Wagoner共同制作──这也是后者最后一次制作Dolly的大碟。与先前作品不同, 本作加入摇滚曲风, 获得出色乐评。登上美国乡村榜＃3──为当时事业新高，并第六度提名格莱美奖最佳乡村女歌手