Following in the footsteps of 1984’s Once Upon A Christmas with Kenny Rogers and 1990’s Home For Christmas, A Holly Dolly Christmas is 74 year old Dolly Parton’s third Christmas album. The record is Parton’s 51st studio album to date, 64th when including the 13 albums she recorded with country gentleman Porter Wagoner between the years 1968 and 1980.
To her credit, rather than lazily mining the tried and true catalogue of all too safe and well known Christmas standards, Parton wrote half of the 12 songs collected here. The album can pretty much be divided into two categories, syrupy ballads (Christmas Is, Circle Of Love, Comin’ Home For Christmas, Mary Did You Know, Pretty Paper) and tracks with some swing and bounce (Holly Jolly Christmas, Cuddle Up And Cozy Down Christmas, Christmas On The Square, Christmas Where We Are, You Are My Christmas, All I Want For Christmas Is You).
Recorded in 11 studios over a time span which began in 2009 with the single “Comin’ Home For Christmas” and resuming in 2016 with songs intended for Parton’s NBC made-for-TV movie Christmas Of Many Colors: Circle Of Love through to 2020, the album has an off kilter disjointed feel to it. Presumably the six duets featured on the album (with Miley Cyrus, Michael Bublé, Jimmy Fallon, Billy Ray Cyrus and brother Randy Parton) were all recorded separately with performances literally being emailed in for Parton to sing along to). In some cases the duets just don’t work. At worst is the Fallon duet on Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” which simply feels forced. At best we hear Michael Bublé doing his best Bing Crosby on the Dolly original “Cuddle Up Cozy Down Christmas”, perhaps Parton’s attempt at writing a modern day alternative to the now controversial “Baby It’s Cold Outside”. Willie Nelson is barely present on his own song “Pretty Paper” and probably should have been left off the track all together, in this case a Dolly stand alone would have worked best. And the all too cutesy “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” just sounds wrong coming from the 74 year old Parton.
All in all A Holly Dolly Christmas is a mish mash of something old something new something borrowed and something blue. A strictly hit and miss affair, fans can always find solace in dusting off their old copy of Christmas with Kenny and Dolly.
6.5/10
2020 Song Of The Day Club
Bi-Weekly Record Review 24/26