''All I Can Do'' is the seventeenth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
. It was released on August 16, 1976, by
RCA Victor. The album was co-produced by Parton and
Porter Wagoner
Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour.
In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The Po ...
and would be the last of Parton's solo albums to have any involvement from Wagoner. It was nominated for
Best Country Vocal Performance, Female at the
19th Annual Grammy Awards. The album spawned three singles: "Hey, Lucky Lady", "
All I Can Do", and "Shattered Image".
The album was reissued for the first time in March 2007. It was released on CD with Parton's 1977 album ''
New Harvest...First Gathering'' and was also released as a
digital download.
Content
In addition to eight Parton compositions, the album includes two covers:
Emmylou Harris' "
Boulder to Birmingham "Boulder to Birmingham" is a song written by Emmylou Harris and Bill Danoff which first appeared on Harris's 1975 album ''Pieces of the Sky.'' It has served as something of a signature tune for the artist and recounts her feelings of grief in the y ...
" and
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.
Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled a ...
's "Life's Like Poetry". The album was released around the time Parton began appearing regularly in the
tabloids, and "Shattered Image", which advised to "stay out of my closet if your own's full of trash," was said to be a reaction to that. "The Fire That Keeps You Warm" was previously recorded by Parton and
Porter Wagoner
Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour.
In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The Po ...
on their 1974 album ''
Porter 'n' Dolly''.
Parton would re-record "Shattered Image" for her 2002 album ''
Halos & Horns
''Halos & Horns'' is the thirty-ninth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on July 9, 2002, by Sugar Hill Records and Blue Eye Records. It is the third album in Parton's critically acclaimed bluegrass tri ...
''.
"Falling Out of Love with Me" was covered by country-rock band
Pinmonkey
Pinmonkey was an American country music group formed in 2002 by Michael Reynolds (lead vocals), brothers Michael Jeffers (vocals, bass guitar) and Chad Jeffers ( Dobro, lap steel guitar), and Rick Schell (drums, vocals). Their first album, ''Speak ...
in 2002 with Parton providing harmony vocals.
Critical reception
In a review published in the August 28, 1976 issue, ''
Billboard'' said, "Exceptional LP by the enigmatic lady who has reached the pinnacle of country music success and is now making her impact, deservingly, on the pop music market. Few artists write better songs than Parton, and no one can sing them better. A powerful performer, Parton provides an album for country and pop chart consideration. Her version of Emmylou Harris' "Boulder to Birmingham" is a striking, heartfelt song, sung without pretension and with a surplus of feeling. Effective blend of slow ballads and uptempo numbers, contains a pair of her hit singles and a couple more that should make good singles. Incisve liner notes by Don Cusic add depth to an already noteworthy LP."
''
Cashbox'' published a review in the August 28, 1976 issue which said, "Making a positive move into the progressive sound, Dolly makes her current single the theme of the total offering. Other self-penned selections are "The Fire That Keeps You Warm", "When the Sun Goes Down Tomorrow", "I'm a Drifter," "Falling Out of Love with Me", "Shattered Image", "Preacher Tom" and "Hey, Lucky Lady". Also included are "Life’s Like Poetry" (Merle Haggard) and "Boulder to Birmingham" (Emmylou Harris/Bill Danoff). A Dolly Parton/Porter Wagoner production."
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number 32 on ''
Billboard''
Hot Country Albums chart. It would eventually peaking at number three in its eleventh week and spent a total of 25 weeks on the chart.
The album's first single, "Hey Lucky Lady", was released in February 1976 and peaked at number 19 on the ''Billboard''
Hot Country Singles
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...
chart and number 11 in Canada on the ''
RPM
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...
'' Top Country Singles chart.
"All I Can Do" was released as the second single in July 1976 and peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles chart and number one in Canada on the ''RPM'' Top Country Singles chart.
The third single, "Shattered Image", was released in the UK in November 1976 and did not chart.
Accolades
The album was nominated for
Best Country Vocal Performance, Female at the
19th Annual Grammy Awards.
Track listing
Personnel
Adapted from the album liner notes.
*Herb Burnette – art director
*Don Cusic – liner notes
*The Lea Jane Singers – vocal accompaniment
*Dolly Parton – vocals, producer, arrangements
*Tom Pick – recording engineer
*Hope Powell – photography
*Roy Shockley – second engineer
*Porter Wagoner – producer, arrangements
Charts
Album
Singles
References
{{Authority control
Dolly Parton albums
1976 albums
RCA Records albums