Studio Album · No. 36
Blue Smoke Songwriting Credits by Dolly Parton
Produced by Kent Wells
Holds writing credit on 8 of 12 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 8 / 12 documented
Scored across the 12 tracks with documented writers, by whether Dolly Parton carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 12 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Blue Smoke balances Parton originals against an unusually wide set of covers and duets. She wrote eight of the twelve tracks, including the title song, "Unlikely Angel," "Miss You-Miss Me," and "Try," while reworking Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right," the traditional murder ballad "Banks of the Ohio" with her own added lyrics, and Bon Jovi's arena anthem "Lay Your Hands on Me." The record leans on her duet partners, pairing "You Can't Make Old Friends" with Kenny Rogers and "From Here to the Moon and Back" with Willie Nelson. Kent Wells produced the album and co-wrote "Home" with Parton.
Blue Smoke is the forty-first studio album by Dolly Parton, released in May 2014 on Sony Music. It is a collection of new recordings and re-recordings of earlier material, timed in part for international release in territories including New Zealand and Australia where Parton maintained a significant touring presence. Parton wrote or co-wrote several tracks; the album includes new versions of classics alongside original material in the country-pop and bluegrass-influenced style that characterizes her independent-era work. The album reached the top twenty on the Billboard Country chart in the United States and performed strongly in New Zealand, where it reached the top ten, reflecting the global breadth of Parton's audience. Blue Smoke is primarily significant in the context of Parton's overall catalog as a consistent production of new material across a sixth decade of recording activity, an output sustained by a songwriting practice that Parton has described as producing new material almost daily, rather than as a commercial or artistic peak. The album demonstrates the remarkable consistency of Parton's commercial presence across five decades of the country music industry, a durability that is directly attributable to the songwriting quality and personal authenticity that have characterized her work since the earliest Monument recordings.
Track Listing & Credits 12 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Blue Smoke
|
Dolly Parton | Dolly Parton | Kent Wells | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |
| 2 |
Unlikely Angel
|
Dolly Parton | Dolly Parton | Kent Wells | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |
| 3 |
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
|
Bob Dylan | Bob Dylan | Kent Wells | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |
| 4 |
You Can't Make Old Friends
#57
|
Ryan Hanna KingDon SchlitzCaitlyn Smith | Ryan Hanna KingDon SchlitzCaitlyn Smith | Kent Wells | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)Kenny Rogers (Featured Vocals) |
| 5 |
Home
|
Dolly PartonKent Wells | Dolly PartonKent Wells | Kent Wells | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |
| 6 |
Banks of the Ohio
|
Traditional | Traditional | Kent Wells | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |
| 7 |
Lay Your Hands on Me
|
Jon Bon JoviRichie Sambora | Jon Bon JoviRichie Sambora | Kent Wells | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |
| 8 |
Miss You-Miss Me
|
Dolly Parton | Dolly Parton | Kent Wells | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |
| 9 |
If I Had Wings
|
Dolly Parton | Dolly Parton | Kent Wells | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |
| 10 |
Lover du Jour
|
Dolly Parton | Dolly Parton | Kent Wells | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |
| 11 |
From Here to the Moon and Back
|
Dolly Parton | Dolly Parton | Kent Wells | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)Willie Nelson (Featured Vocals) |
| 12 |
Try
|
Dolly Parton | Dolly Parton | Kent Wells | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |