Disco de Dolly Parton: “Eagle When She Flies”

Dolly recorded for Columbia during the late eighties and early nineties, during which time she had three number one country hits during that period, the last of them (Rocking years) coming from this album. Rocking years was originally intended to be a duet with George Jones but he left the label so Ricky van Shelton became the duet partner. The success of the single may have owed more to Ricky (who was fashionable at the time) than Dolly, as American country radio only showed limited interest in the other singles from this album. Despite a lack of airplay, the album sold in vast quantities (well over a million in the USA) and deservedly so.

The songs are mostly excellent, though I confess that the lyrics of Family stretch credibility to the limit. Dolly says that the family is a strong unit and suggests (more eloquently than I can describe) that people will forgive other family members anything. I wish families were as united and strong as Dolly sings, but it's not my experience and I don't know of any family that lives up to the ideals expressed in the song. Maybe Dolly was just doing some wishful thinking when she wrote the song, or maybe her family really is that strong.

The other songs are much more realistic. The two other country hits, Eagle when she flies (an inspiration to women) and Silver and gold (a song about love being more important than money) are among Dolly's finest songs ever. Dolly original recorded What a heartache for the Rhinestone soundtrack but re-recorded it for this album and again for her more recent Halos and horns, so although it wasn't a single it might sound familiar to you, although each recording is distinctive.

Best woman wins, a song about two women fighting over a man, features Lorrie Morgan, although Dolly does most of the singing so perhaps she wins that battle. Other great songs include If you need me, Wildest dreams and Dreams do come true and Runaway feelings, but may favorite here is the upbeat Country road, a song about the love a country woman has for a man from the city.

This overlooked gem will forever be one of my favorite Dolly albums.

Dolly Parton's 1991 album EAGLE WHEN SHE FLIES is pleasant enough for a CD. We have the big hits, "Rockin Years" - a duet with Ricky Van Shelton, Dolly's last #1 hit, and last top 10 hit. The title track is one of her more poignant and beautiful tracks, a song about a woman finding strength. However it failed to impress country radio, their loss, it hit #33 on the charts. "Silver and Gold" is another hit from the album, a touching tale. "Silver and Gold" hit #15 on the country charts. While EAGLE WHEN SHE FLIES isn't her strongest, there is some good material here. "Wildest Dreams" is a really beautiful song, really touching. "Dreams Do Come True" is a song about love at first sight, and finding someone after so many wrong guys. "Best Woman Wins" includes Lorrie Morgan, a spirited duet about two women fighting over the same man. "Family" is a song about how family accepts everyone, from any walk of life, and how diverse a family can be with its people. Overall its a pleasant album and worth checking out.

I personally think this is DOLLY'S best CD in the 90's. Sales show this as well. Dolly said in an interview this CD was approaching 2 million(US) in sales.. My favorites cuts are: Wildest Dreams, Family, Rockin' Years, and Eagle When She Flies!! Buy it today..

By the ealy '90's acts like Reba McEntire, Patty Loveless, Vince Gill, and Alan Jackson were dominating country radio and the top of the Billboard Charts, but there was one lady who still proved she could top them all and that was Dolly Parton. The week "Eagle When She Flies" was released in 1991 the album replaced Garth Brooks at the top of the Country Album Charts selling over 70,000 copies and it would ultimately go Platinum selling over 1 million copies. Currently Dolly's last album to go #1 the sound is very much early nineties country and it included the #1 duet with then-hot Ricky Van Shelton, "Rockin' Years", a song Dolly originally recorded with George Jones. The label, at the last minute, thought the song wouldn't be a hit with Jones so they replaced his vocals with Van Shelton's. Other greats here include the beautiful "Eagle When She Flies", a song Dolly originally wrote as the theme for her 1989 film "Steel Magnolias", but the producers dropped it. "Silver and Gold" would go all the way to #15 and there's also a cute duet with Lorrie Morgan, "Best Woman Wins". This is one of Dolly's best nineties albums.

Awsome. No one can match Dolly on the range she can get her voice when she sings.