The giggly reactions to Dolly Parton's kitschy image - 'a country girl's idea of glam', as she puts it herself - always seemed to slip away from her. But in the song Backwoods Barbie, the title song of her new album, Parton lets her mask down for a moment. Then it turns out that she wants nothing more than to be taken seriously. It turns out that 'barbies' also have feelings. The theme is
… reflected in her cover of s The Tracks Of My Tears. In her own songs she offers life lessons (Better Get To Livin ') and professes her faith (Jesus And Gravity). The candid lyrics are remarkable as Dolly harks back to the cheerful, commercial country pop sound of her heyday for the first time in years. The attractive combination of serious lyrics and light music makes Backwoods Barbie one of Parton's more successful albums of late. (MS)more
