Album Spotlight: Various Artists-Just Because I Am A Woman

Dolly Parton is seen to many as mega country star parading as a dumb blonde. She's definitely not the 'Backwoods Barbie' she often portrays and is considered not just the Queen of Country, but also one of their best songwriters. In fact, she's said she  sees herself not as a singer,  but as a songwriter. So, it would seem only fitting for this tribute to highlight that songwriter.

The track listing, for Just Because I Am AWoman, highlights the diversity of Parton’s skills. While it has the well-loved classics such as ‘Two Doors Down’, ‘9 to 5’, ‘Jolene’ and ‘Coat Of Many Colors’ it also has some less-known songs such as ‘Little Sparrow’, ‘Light Of A Clear Morning’ and ‘The Grass in Blue’.

Teaming Parton’s songs with such a diversity of today’s best female singers was an interesting move that paid off very well. There are some hiccups such as Alison Krauss’ ‘9 to 5’. Her interpretation of it includes slowing it down, and removing the oomph. Another hiccup is ‘I Will Always Love You’. Usually a powerful song, Melissa Etheridge manages to make it dull from start to finish.

Obviously it would be hard to emulate the originals, many of the artists including Shania Twain, Joan Osbourne, Emmylou Harris and Kasey Chambers, have still tried their best and successfully given their own interpretation of Parton’s songs.

Not a big fan of Norah Jones, I was already expecting to hate her version of ‘The Grass Is Blue’, however her jazzed up version is actually really good.

The same can be said for Emmylou Harris’ beautiful version of ‘To Daddy’ and Joan Osbourne’s bluesy version of ‘Do I Ever Cross Your Mind’.

Listening to each song, it’s hard not to see Parton as a songwriter before a singer. She writes with nothing but honesty. Whether it be about struggles of her own poverty in ‘Coat of many Colors’, successfully covered by Shania Twain, or just about every woman’s struggle in ‘9 to 5’ and ‘Jolene’, the beautiful but haunting version covered by Mindy Smith for this album.

And, it’s only fitting that a Dolly Parton tribute should have the lady herself, in question, finish up with an updated version of ‘Just Because I Am A Woman’.

A nice little tribute to Dolly Parton, and perfectly fitting since it came out just in time for the 35^th anniversary of when ‘Just Because I Am A Woman’, Dolly’s first solo album, was released.