Pure & Simple (Dolly Parton album)

Pure & Simple
Studio album by Dolly Parton
Released	August 19, 2016
Recorded	2015 - 2016
Genre	Country
Length	33:00
Label	Dolly Records RCA Nashville
Producer	Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton chronology
Just Between You and Me: The Complete Recordings, 1967–1976 (2014) Pure & Simple (2016) The Complete Trio Collection (2016)
Singles from Pure & Simple
"Pure and Simple" Released: July 8, 2016 "Outside Your Door" Released: July 29, 2016 "Head Over High Heels" Released: September 15, 2016

Pure & Simple is the 43rd solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released worldwide on August 19, 2016, by Dolly Records and RCA Nashville. It is Parton's seventh No. 1 country album, her first in twenty-five years.

Background

The genesis for the project was a pair of intimate concerts Parton performed at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium in August 2015, featuring Parton and a quartet of backing players, entitled "Dolly Parton: Pure and Simple". The concerts were repeated the following weekend with four performances at Dollywood. The shows were well received and from that emerged the idea to produce a similarly stripped down album and tour.

Previous recordings

Four songs from the album have been previously recorded by Parton in one form or another:

• "Tomorrow Is Forever" was originally recorded as a duet with Porter Wagoner for their 1970 album Porter Wayne and Dolly Rebecca.
• "Say Forever You'll Be Mine" was also originally recorded as a duet with Porter Wagoner for their 1975 album of the same name.
• "Can't Be That Wrong", with a few lyrical differences, was previously recorded as "God Won't Get You", and released on the soundtrack to Parton's 1984 film Rhinestone.
• "Mama" has been featured in Dollywood's My People production since 2013.

At a press conference held in Toronto, Canada on June 13, 2014 Parton covered a wide range of topics to promote the Canadian leg of her Pure & Simple Tour. Among the tidbits were that the album would be distributed worldwide by Sony Music for Dolly Records, its release date had been moved from August 26 to August 19, that the title track would be a single and that "Outside Your Door" might be the second single.^[1] The album was ultimately distributed through RCA Nashville, effectively reuniting Parton (who'd been with RCA from 1967 - 1986) with her longtime record label.

Promotion

The Pure & Simple Tour was announced March 6, 2016 on Parton's official website.^[2] A press conference was held the following day providing additional details concerning the tour. The trek is coined as Parton's biggest tour in 25 years.^[3] 64 dates are planned in the United States and Canada, visiting the most requested markets missed on previous tours. Alongside the tour; the singer's latest album, Pure & Simple is set to be released.^[4] Parton explained a tour was not planned due to her busy schedule.^[5] In August 2015, the singer performed two sold out shows at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville ^[6] as well as four shows the following weekend at Dollywood. The scaled down shows sparked Parton's interest in returning to the stage.

To promote the album and tour, as well as Dollywood, Parton appeared on Hallmark Channel's Home & Family everyday during the week of May 30 - June 3, 2016. Throughout the week Parton performed 7 songs, 3 new songs off the album ("Pure and Simple," "Mama," and "Say Forever You'll Be Mine"), 1 song from the movie Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors ("Angel Hill" with Alyvia Alyn Lind) and 3 classics ("Coat of Many Colors," "Applejack" and "My Tennessee Mountain Home").

The track "Mama" was released as a promo single ahead of the album's release via Parton's official website on May 4, 2016 as a free download for Mother's Day.^[7]

On July 6, 2016 Parton announced via Twitter that her new single, "Pure and Simple," would receive its radio debut on BBC Radio 2 during the Ken Bruce Show on July 7, 2016.^[8]

On July 7, 2016, Parton revealed the albums artwork, track listing and debuted the lyric video for the album's first single, "Pure and Simple," in an article by the Huffington Post.^[9] It was also announced that the single would be available for download through all digital music retailers, along with the album's pre-order, beginning July 8, 2016.

The album's second single, "Outside Your Door," was released through all digital music retailers on July 29, 2016, along with the lyric video on Vevo and YouTube.

On August 12, 2016, in an article published by Today, it was revealed that the album's song "Head Over High Heels" contains a lyrical reference to British singer-songwriter Adele ("I put on my tight dress, hair piled on my head, painting my lips red and my eyes like Adele.").^[10]

USA Today published an interview with Parton about the album on August 16, 2016, and it featured a first-listen to the album track "Can't Be That Wrong".^[11]

Parton appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on August 23, 2016 to promote the album and perform the title track, "Pure and Simple". The following morning, to further promote the album, Parton made an appearance on Today where she performed "9 to 5", "Pure and Simple", and "Coat of Many Colors".

On September 15, 2016, Cosmopolitan published an article announcing "Head Over High Heels" as Parton's new single from the album and premiered the lyric video.^[12]

On October 3, 2016, Parton made appearances on CBS' The Talk, where she gave an interview, and ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where she was interviewed and performed "Outside Your Door".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	67/100[13]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Toronto Sun	[14]
The Scotsman	[15]
The Plain Dealer	C- [16]
Newsday	B+ [17]
Now	[18]
Entertainment Weekly	A-[19]
The Irish Times	[19]
The Guardian	[20]
Metro Weekly	[21]
Exclaim!	6/10[22]

Pure & Simple received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, they assign a rating out of 100 to selected independent reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 67, based on 11 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews."^[13] Glenn Gamboa gave the album a B+ rating in his review for New York's Newsday, calling the album "a thick slice of down-home charm from the country legend." He also named "Head Over High Heels" and "Outside Your Door" standout tracks and praised the simple production of the album, "This isn’t big-production Dolly. These are songs that focus on her vocals and her storytelling, sweet, kindhearted tales that seem to belong in a simpler time."^[17]

The Toronto Sun reviewed the album, giving it 2 1/2 out of 5 stars, saying, "While it might not be her glossiest offering, Pure & Simple is an average batch of romantic ballads and poppier ditties voiced in her breathy flutter. Nice and sweet — but no big deal." Writing for Exclaim!, Stuart Henderson gave the album a mixed review, calling it a "a middle shelf release in Parton's discography."^[22] The Scotsman gave it 2 stars, stating "This is Dolly in either sugary sweet or breathily sensitive mode, accompanied by the trill of mandolin, delicately picked guitar or graceful strings." The Arts Desk gave a positive review of the album, "As artistic passions go, Parton’s is a straightforward one, but it’s delivered with conviction and an enjoyable sense of melodrama," praising all tracks except "Mama", saying that it "is a gruesome syrup of 1950s gender stereotyping." ^[23]

In a review for Entertainment Weekly Madison Vain gave the album an A- and said that "occasionally the album feels like it might be on the verge of wading too far into sappy Hallmark Card territory...but those moments are rare, and the album is saved by Parton’s self-assured soprano, which has lost none of its girlish charm."^[19] Joe Breen of The Irish Times gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, saying that "there is entertainment aplenty, both lachrymose and lively, but the songs are mostly safe and predictable musings on enduring love."^[19]

Matt Williams of Toronto's Now gave the album 3 out of 5 stars in his review, calling the album a much needed "injection of sunshine" in the midst of all the "darkness and anxiety [that] permeate[s] our pop music landscape."^[18] Sean Maunder for Metro Weekly gave the album 4 stars and said that although it "may not rank among her most memorable work, ...it is quintessential Dolly, an album that reminds us why she has such staying power. In an increasingly uncertain world, it’s comforting to know that Dolly Parton is a constant."^[21]

Commercial performance

In the US, Pure & Simple debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 20,200 copies. Pure & Simple was also Parton's best debut on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, entering at No. 1, surpassing 2014's Blue Smoke, which debuted at No. 2. It was also Parton's first No. 1 album on the Top Country Albums chart since 1991's Eagle When She Flies 25 years prior.^[24] The album also debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's US Folk Albums chart. The album has sold 77,900 copies in the US as of November 2016.^[25]

Pure & Simple debuted at No. 2 on the UK Albums chart and No. 1 on the UK Country Albums chart with sales of 17,000 copies. On the Australian Albums chart the album landed at No. 9. In Canada, the album debuted at No. 20, her highest charting studio album in the Canada SoundScan era. It surpasses the No. 31 peak of her last release, 2014's Blue Smoke. The album debuted at No. 33 on the Irish Albums chart. In New Zealand the album made its chart debut at No. 39. The lowest chart position comes from Belgium, debuting at No. 133.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Dolly Parton.^[26]

Versions released

Standard Edition

• 10-track album

Walmart & International Edition

• 10-track album
• 2 bonus tracks ("Mama", "Lovin’ You")
• The Hits bonus CD

UK Edition

• 10-track album
• 2 bonus tracks ("Mama", "Lovin’ You")
• Live from Glastonbury bonus CD

Cracker Barrel Edition

• 10-track album
• 2 bonus tracks ("Jolene (Live from Glastonbury)", "9 to 5 (Live from Glastonbury)")
• photo magnet
• 48-page CD booklet on Parton’s career
• coupon book for Dollywood, Dixie Stampede, Lumberjack Adventure & Pirates Voyage

Personnel

Adapted from album liner notes.

• Monty Lane Allen - Background Vocals (1, 7); Duet Vocal (12)
• David Angell - Violin (10)
• David Davidson - Violin (10); String Arrangements (10)
• Michael Davis - Strings Programming (4)
• Richard Dennison - Electric Piano (1, 5); Background Vocals (1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12); Piano (3, 11, 12); Duet Vocal (4); Synth (11)
• Paul Franklin - Steel Guitar (1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 12)
• Kevin Grantt - Upright Bass (1, 7)
• Vicki Hampton - Background Vocals (3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12)
• Tom Hoey - Drums & Percussion (1, 3, 5, 7, 12)
• Paul Hollowell - Piano (4, 6, 8, 9); Organ (6, 8)
• Anthony LaMarchina - Cello (10)
• Steve Mackey - Electric Bass (3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12)
• Jimmy Mattingly - Mandolin (1, 12); Fiddle (2)
• Patrick Murphy - Mixing Engineer (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12); Tracking Engineer (4, 6, 8, 9)
• Jennifer O’Brian - Background Vocals (3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12)
• Dolly Parton - Lead Vocals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12); Harmony Vocal (1, 3, 6)
• Jeff Pearles - Background Vocals (8, 12)
• Tom Rutledge - Acoustic Guitar (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12); Tracking Engineer (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12); Banjo (3, 9); Electric Guitar (5, 7)
• Bobby Shin - Tracking Engineer (10)
• Nathan Smith - Mixing Engineer (2, 11)
• Steve Turner - Drums (4, 6, 8, 9)
• Kent Wells - Electric Guitar (4, 5, 8, 9)
• Kristen Wilkinson - Viola (10)

Charts

Release history

References