The Dolly Parton Discography
  • Home
  • Albums
    • Studio albums
    • Extended plays
    • Live albums
    • Soundtrack albums
    • Compilation albums >
      • Notable compilation albums
      • Compilation albums, 1963–1989
      • Compilation albums, 1990–1999
      • Compilation albums, 2000–2009
      • Compilation albums, 2010–present
    • Audiobooks
    • Radio albums
    • Other album appearances >
      • Other album appearances, 1966–1999
      • Other album appearances, 2000–2009
      • Other album appearances, 2010–2019
      • Other album appearances, 2020–present
  • Singles
    • Singles, 1959–1969
    • Singles, 1970–1979
    • Singles, 1980–1989
    • Singles, 1990–1999
    • Singles, 2000–2009
    • Singles, 2010–2019
    • Singles, 2020–present
  • Songs
  • Certifications
  • Owens-Parton Family
    • The Owens-Parton Family Discography
  • About
Picture
Album cover. Dolly / RCA Nashville (88985-48348-2) (2017)
I Believe in You is the forty-sixth solo studio album by Dolly Parton. It was first released digitally on September 29, 2017, and on October 13, 2017, on CD by Dolly Records and RCA Nashville. The album was produced by Richard Dennison, Tom McBryde, and Tom Rutledge, with Dolly and Paul T. Crouch serving as executive producers. It is Dolly's first album of music for children. All proceeds from the album will benefit Dolly's Imagination Library. The album was originally planned to be released in 2015, following the first release of the single "I Believe in You" as a free download on Dolly's official website. Upon release, the album was met with mixed to positive reviews from critics. It peaked at number three on the Billboard Kid Albums chart, number 20 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, and number 173 on the Billboard 200.

Track listing

2017 retail version
  1. ​I Believe in You (Dolly Parton) 2:00
  2. Coat of Many Colors (Dolly Parton)
  3. Together Forever (Dolly Parton) 2:26
  4. I Am a Rainbow (Dolly Parton)
  5. I'm Here (Dolly Parton) 2:27
  6. A Friend Like You (Dolly Parton) 1:52
  7. Imagination (Dolly Parton) 2:23
  8. You Can Do It (Dolly Parton) 1:53
  9. Responsibility (Dolly Parton) 1:54
  10. You Gotta Be (Dolly Parton) 1:54
  11. ​Makin' Fun Ain't Funny (Dolly Parton) 2:19 COMC
  12. Chemo Hero (Dolly Parton) 2:09
  13. Brave Little Soldier (Dolly Parton) 2:34
  14. A Reading of Coat of Many Colors (Dolly Parton) 2:45​
2015 Imagination Library version
  1. Dolly's Special Greeting* (Dolly Parton) 0:26
  2. I Believe in You (Dolly Parton) 2:00
  3. Together Forever (Dolly Parton) 2:25
  4. I Am a Rainbow (Dolly Parton) 1:58
  5. I'm Here (Dolly Parton) 2:26
  6. A Friend Like You (Dolly Parton) 1:52
  7. Imagination (Dolly Parton) 2:23
  8. Always Choose to Be Nice* (Brian Hull, Tom McBryde) 1:48
  9. You Can Do It (Dolly Parton) 1:52
  10. Friends* (Dolly Parton) 2:29
  11. Responsibility (Dolly Parton) 1:53
  12. You Gotta Be (Dolly Parton) 1:54
  13. We Will Always Be Friends* (Brian Hull, Tom McBryde) 1:56
  14. A Reading of I Am a Rainbow* (Dolly Parton) 2:22

* Not included on the 2017 retail release.

Background

The album was originally announced on July 5, 2014, with the release of the title track, "I Believe in You", as a free download on Dolly's official website. The release stated, "All families who receive the gift of Imagination Library books were also presented with a free download of Parton's song, "I Believe in You", that she wrote for the Imagination Playhouse at Dollywood. Eleven additional songs will soon be made available for purchase, with 100 percent of sales supporting the longevity of the Dollywood Foundation." This original version of the album was made available to attendees at the Imagination Library's biennial conference in June 2015. It features five tracks that were not included on the 2017 version.

On October 18, 2016, Dolly re-released her children's book, Coat of Many Colors, based on her hit song of the same name. This new version of the book featured new cover art and illustrations, as well as a free download of the song "Makin' Fun Ain't Funny". This version of the song features different instrumentation than the version featured on the album.

Release and promotion

On August 15, 2017, Dolly formally announced the album's upcoming release at a press conference at her management's Nashville office in front of reporters and their children, saying "I love kids and I am so excited. It just seems like the right time [to release a children's album]. Since I'm getting so old, I'm getting back into my second childhood." She also revealed the album's cover and track listing, as well as singing three songs from the album and reading a story to the children.

The album was made available for pre-order on September 15, 2017, along with the release of the album's first single, "I Believe in You".
​
Following the album's release, Dolly released animated lyric videos for all thirteen of the album's tracks on November 17, 2017.

Critical reception

​​The album received mixed to positive reviews from critics. James Christopher Monger of AllMusic felt that Dolly's "effusive personality and seemingly ageless voice lend themselves well to the [children's] genre", that her "natural charisma and easy demeanor help keep things from becoming too cloying," and "with all proceeds from the album going to her bookworm charity, it's awfully hard to find fault with any of it." Elizabeth Andrews of The Spill Magazine judged Dolly's first foray into children's music a successful one, and that the album "is a gift to share with parents, kids, the young at heart among us, and anyone needing a bit of a pick-me-up." Drowned in Sound, however, criticized the production of the album, saying it was "as counterfeit as much of Parton's idealized America has been throughout the years, and sounds like it was made on a Casio keyboard for the most part", nevertheless, "there's plenty for children to like about this album and it's hard to turn up the nose at the moral message which is at the core of the songs."

Commercial performance

​The album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Kid Albums chart, and peaked at number three in its third week. It also peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart in its third week, with 4,800 copies sold.

​It has sold 25,500 copies in the United States as of April 2018.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album liner notes.
Performance
  • Paul Brannon – guitar
  • ​Michael Davis – bass
  • Richard Dennison – keyboards, background vocals
  • Vicki Hampton – background vocals
  • Tim Hayden – keyboards
  • Tom Hoey – drums, percussion
  • The Inner Child Chorus – background vocals
  • Shelley Jennings – background vocals
  • Melodie Kirkpatrick – background vocals
  • ​Steve Mackey – bass
  • Shane McConnell – background vocals
  • Jennifer O'Brien – background vocals
  • Danny O'Lannerghty – bass
  • Dolly Parton – lead vocals
  • Tom Reeves – drums
  • Tom Rutledge – acoustic guitar, bass guitar, MIDI guitar, bass
  • Kent Wells – electric guitars
Production
  • Paul T. Crouch – executive producer
  • Michael Davis – arrangement
  • Richard Dennison – producer
  • Chris Latham – edit engineer
  • John Mayfield – mastering
  • Tom McBryde – producer
  • Dolly Parton - executive producer
  • Tom Reeves – mixing, engineer, talent contractor (mastering on 2015 version)
  • Tom Rutledge – producer, engineer, edit engineer
  • Nathan Smith – edit engineer
Other personnel
  • Robert Behar – wardrobe
  • Dennis Carney – cheek kisses photo
  • Sarah Chapman – original graphic design
  • Trey Fanjoy – album cover photo
  • Cheryl Riddle – hair
  • S.D. Professionals, LLC – back cover photo, additional photography, original graphic design
  • Steve Summers – wardrobe
  • Jacob Timmons – additional photography, original graphic design

All children pictured are Dolly's family and friends.

Additional images

Picture
Album cover. The Dollywood Foundation (promo CD) (2015)
Picture
Left inner-sleeve. The Dollywood Foundation (promo CD) (2015)
Picture
Right inner-sleeve. The Dollywood Foundation (promo CD) (2015)
Picture
Disc. The Dollywood Foundation (promo CD) (2015)
Picture
Back cover. The Dollywood Foundation (promo CD) (2015)
Additional images courtesy of Mark Wilson.

← Previous
Next →
This is a non-profit, unofficial fansite.​
​All album covers and photos are copyrighted to their respective owners and are reproduced here in a sufficient resolution for commentary and identification, but lower resolution than the original image, and are intended for educational purposes only. Their use here is believed to qualify as fair use under the copyright law of the United States.
All original text and content is © The Dolly Parton 
Discography.
​All rights reserved.

This website is not affiliated with Dolly Parton.
​​Privacy Policy​ • Cookie Policy
  • Home
  • Albums
    • Studio albums
    • Extended plays
    • Live albums
    • Soundtrack albums
    • Compilation albums >
      • Notable compilation albums
      • Compilation albums, 1963–1989
      • Compilation albums, 1990–1999
      • Compilation albums, 2000–2009
      • Compilation albums, 2010–present
    • Audiobooks
    • Radio albums
    • Other album appearances >
      • Other album appearances, 1966–1999
      • Other album appearances, 2000–2009
      • Other album appearances, 2010–2019
      • Other album appearances, 2020–present
  • Singles
    • Singles, 1959–1969
    • Singles, 1970–1979
    • Singles, 1980–1989
    • Singles, 1990–1999
    • Singles, 2000–2009
    • Singles, 2010–2019
    • Singles, 2020–present
  • Songs
  • Certifications
  • Owens-Parton Family
    • The Owens-Parton Family Discography
  • About