Dolly Parton – Diamonds & Rhinestones - The Greatest Hits Collection (2xLP)

Dolly Parton’s Diamonds & Rhinestones: The Greatest Hits Collection pulls 23 key recordings from 1971 to 2020 into one cross-label anthology, giving a clear sense of just how wide her catalogue runs. Arriving in the same year Parton was announced as a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, it works as both a celebration and a practical overview: early country-defining songs sit alongside pop crossover smashes and later collaborations, rather than being boxed into one era.

The set is strongest when it shows how many different versions of Dolly Parton can coexist on one record. Songs such as Coat of Many Colors, Jolene and 9 to 5 trace a path from intimate storytelling to full-scale mainstream appeal, while the sequencing makes room for the glossier late-70s and 80s hits that expanded her audience well beyond Nashville. It is a greatest-hits collection, but not a narrow one: the selections move from solo standards to duets with Kenny Rogers and a three-way country-star turn with Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette.

Just as useful is the way it stretches into the 21st century. The inclusion of 2018’s “Red Shoes,” 2020’s “When Life Is Good Again,” and the Galantis collaboration “Faith” shows Parton as an artist who never stopped adding to the story. For anyone wanting a smart single-stop introduction to her songwriting, voice and crossover reach, this is a generous survey rather than a nostalgic tidy-up.

Features

• 2xLP, Black Vinyl
• Gatefold sleeve
• Includes liner notes by Robert K. Oermann

Reviews

• the depth and variety of Parton's catalog - AllMusic.com