Rating: NN
Better Day is Dolly Parton’s 41st album, so it’s hard to criticize her for falling back on a formula or 20. The 65-year-old icon keeps the Dolly brand alive with another unfailingly cheery, pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps country-pop record, this one tackling doomsday 2012ers, career sacrifices and matters of the heart.
While 1999’s The Grass Is Blue kicked off a trilogy of bluegrass-rooted albums that refreshed her sound and relevance (2001’s Little Sparrow even included an inspired cover of Stairway To Heaven), none of the follow-ups have comparably stood out. Here, the glossy, spunky tunes seem aimed at commercial radio. Or maybe Christian radio – they’re loaded with references to Jesus.
They’re also loaded with eye-rolling Dollyisms that might make you smile: “I can wear denim or I can wear silk, drink champagne or chocolate milk,” she sings on Country Is As Country Does. Best are her vocals – as strong, clear and distinct as ever – and the energy she infuses into the songs. If she’s grown tired of her shtick, you’d never guess it.
Top track: Missing You
