Eagle When She Flies

Amazon.com essential recording
Dolly Parton's solo albums of the '80s and '90s are as spotty as a Dalmatian in a leopard-skin coat, as she moved from writing powerful ruminations on isolation and loss, to playing good ol' gals in the movies and dueting with hunks du jour to stay on the charts. With Eagle she manages to rid herself of the tacky production that marred many of her latter releases, only to lose ground to an age-old problem: Parton seems not to be able to weed out her worst work, witness "Dreams Do Come True," a musical romance novel in which she whispers the gooey line, "Like the morning sun, his love moved across every inch of my body." Once out of Janet Dailey mode, however, Parton shines on a host of understated songs, including "Rockin' Years," with Ricky Van. Although it would be years before she made another album equaling the brilliance of her early work, Eagle finds a spark of new promise. --Alanna Nash

Tracks:

If You Need Me
Rockin' Years - Dolly Parton, Ricky Van Shelton, Ricky Van Shelton
Country Road
Silver and Gold
Eagle When She Flies
Best Woman Wins - Lorrie Morgan, Dolly Parton
What a Heartache
Runaway Feelin'
Dreams Do Come True
Family
Wildest Dreams

Customer Reviews:

One of Dolly's finest albums.......2004-06-14

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.

Tracks:

If You Need Me
Rockin' Years
Country Road
Silver And Gold
Eagle When She Flies
Best Woman Wins
What A Heartache
Runaway Feelin'
Dreams Do Come True
Family
Wildest Dreams

Amazon.com essential recording

Dolly Parton's solo albums of the '80s and '90s are as spotty as a Dalmatian in a leopard-skin coat, as she moved from writing powerful ruminations on isolation and loss, to playing good ol' gals in the movies and dueting with hunks du jour to stay on the charts. With Eagle she manages to rid herself of the tacky production that marred many of her latter releases, only to lose ground to an age-old problem: Parton seems not to be able to weed out her worst work, witness "Dreams Do Come True," a musical romance novel in which she whispers the gooey line, "Like the morning sun, his love moved across every inch of my body." Once out of Janet Dailey mode, however, Parton shines on a host of understated songs, including "Rockin' Years," with Ricky Van. Although it would be years before she made another album equaling the brilliance of her early work, Eagle finds a spark of new promise. --Alanna Nash

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous!.......2007-03-31

I have been looking for this CD forever. Am so glad to have found it.

She's an eagle when she flies.......2004-03-30

This is a nice album from Dolly. It was released after her successful return to country music with 1989's WHITE LIMOZEEN. This album also gave Dolly a few more hits, and the album went platinum. The album opens with the bluegrass tinged "If You Need Me". "Rockin Years", with Ricky Van Shelton, was Parton's last #1 hit on the country charts. "Silver And Gold" reached #15, and the title track #33. The title track is a very positive ballad, and stands as yet another classic Dolly Parton song. There's a fun duet with Lorrie Morgan called "Best Woman Wins". "What A Heartache" is updated from the RHINESTONE days. "Family" is a nice ballad, very true in it's context. The closing "Wildest Dreams" has become a favorite song of mine, a very nice positive ballad. Overall a nice album from Dolly.

One of Dolly's finest albums.......2003-10-12

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 feeling, 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.

Pleasant CD.......2002-07-17

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.

Thank God for CD Writers.......2001-02-28

Half the songs on this album get five stars. The rest don't merit one star. The great songs don't deserve a two stars and the horrid songs don't deserve four stars. So, there is a compromise of three stars.

I heard Rocking Years and wanted the album. I heard Eagle When She Flies and my desired picked up. Then I heard Silver and Gold, and I had to have the album. Still, I've never listened to but a few notes of some of the songs, my hand automatically reaching to the forward button on my cd player. The great songs on this album make it worth your while. Just get a rewrittable CD and edit the others out.

Eagle When She Flies
Average customer rating:
Eagle When She Flies

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000BRQP8S
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Music Album:

Music Album