The E-Card
Listen to samples of all 13 tracks, see the video for "Jolene," enter a contest and more with this e-card here.

The Dollymania Review
Posted Aug. 14. Read it here.

Producer's Comments
Executive producer Steve Buckingham offers the behind-the-scenes stories on each cut from the album here.

What They Have To Say: Quotes From The Artists
From Joan Osborne's proclamation of "Long may she reign!" to Alison Krauss' "We've always been spoiled by getting Dolly's wondrous combination: her singing, her beauty, and the songs of real life that she's written" to Sinead O'Conner's assertion that "she's a fucking genius!" Read comments from the women who are performing Dolly's classics on the album here.

July 16: Continuing to sell well off the recent The Oprah Winfrey Show repeat touting it, the tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton marks its 31st week on the country albums chart in the July 24 Billboard numbers released Thursday, slipping 11 spaces to No. 70; the CD falls off the 50-position independent labels albums chart, down from its No. 46 re-entry the previous week.

July 10: The tribute collection Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton also re-enters the Canadian country albums charts this week, it was announced Thursday. The set comes in at No. 41, logging its 24th week. It had previously peaked at No. 7.

July 9: With increased sales due to the repeat of the Dolly tribute episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton re-enters the Billboard charts in the July 17 numbers released Thursday. The CD comes in at No. 59 country for a 30th week on the chart and No. 46 on the independent labels albums chart for a 22nd week. The disc had peaked at No. 6 country and No. 2 indie.

May 15: According to the new European CMA charts, Shania Twain and Alison Krauss' cover of her "Coat Of Many Colors" featuring uncredited Dolly harmonies from the Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton tribute CD comes in at No. 7 on the U.K. country airplay chart, No. 14 on the one in Holland and No. 43 continent-wide. And the song's popularity pushed Dolly's original of the song onto the country airplay chart in the small nation of Malta, with it reaching No. 19.

May 14: After 29 weeks on the Billboard country chart, the Dolly tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton falls out of the 75-position tally in the May 22 numbers the magazine released on Thursday, down from No. 75 the previous week. The CD had peaked at No. 6 country, No. 55 pop and spawned one top 10 video on CMT for Mindy Smith's cover of "Jolene" and one song on the country singles chart, with Shania Twain, Alison Krauss & Union Station and Dolly coming in at No. 57 for "Coat Of Many Colors."

May 10The Dolly tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton appears to be nearing the end of its chart run. The album drops nine points to No. 75 on the country albums chart in its 29th chart week, Billboard announced in its May 15 numbers on Thursday. That is the lowest position available on the country tally.

April 30: The tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton sees a slight gain this week, moving up one point to come in at No. 66 in its 28th chart week, according to the May 8 country albums chart Billboard announced Thursday.

April 23: The Dolly tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton rebounds four spots on the country albums chart, coming in at to No. 67 in its 27th chart week in the May 1 tally Billboard released on Thursday.

April 16: The Dolly tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton is slowly working its way toward leaving the country albums chart, with the former No. 6 CD dropping another nine points to No. 71 in its 26th chart week in the April 24 tally Billboard released on Thursday.

April 9: The Dolly tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton slips one point to No. 62 country in its 25th chart week on the Billboard country albums chart, in the April 17 numbers released Thursday.

April 6: The Dolly tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton falls out of the 40-position Americana Music Association's weekly radio airplay chart released Monday, down from No. 34 the previous week. It had peaked at No. 1 in December.

March 30: Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton slips down six spots to No. 34 on the Americana Music Association's weekly radio airplay chart released Monday. The former No. 1 logged 186 spins, down from 210 the previous week.

March 26: The Dolly tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton falls one point to No. 54 in its 23rd chart week on the Billboard country albums chart, in the April 3 numbers released Thursday.

March 25: CMT on Wednesday announced the final four nominees in each category for the 2004 Flame Worthy Music Video Awards, and Dolly and Mindy Smith didn't make the cut. Dolly had received two preliminary nominations in a field of eight videos for Flame Worthy Female Video Of The Year for "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns and for Flame Worthy Cameo Of The Year for her appearance in Smith's "Jolene" from Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, but neither made the final list. Earning nominations for the female honor are Martina McBride for "This One's For The Girls," Reba for "I'm Gonna Take That Mountain," Sara Evans for "Perfect" and Shania Twain for "Forever And For Always." Getting nominations in the cameo category are Jake the Dog in Dierks Bentley's "What Was I Thinkin'," Joe Don's rear end in Rascal Flatts' "I Melt," Motocross rider Kenny Bartram and BMX rider Kevin Robinson in Chris Cagle's "Chicks Dig It" and the cast of Brad Paisley's "Celebrity" (Jason Alexander, Jim Belushi, Little Jimmy Dickens, Trista Rehn and William Shatner). Likewise, Smith's "Jolene" had gotten a preliminary nod for Flame Worthy Breakthrough Video Of The Year, and its director, Trey Fanjoy, for Flame Worthy Video Director Of The Year, but neither was in nominations announced this week. Toby Keith headed up the nominations with four, followed by Kenney Chesney, Rascal Flatts and Alan Jackson with three each. Voting for the final nominees continues through April 18, and awards will be handed out live on CMT in the ceremony hosted by Dolly April 21.

March 23: The Dolly tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton drops six to No. 28 on the Americana Music Association's weekly radio airplay chart with 210 spins at reporting stations nationwide, down from 244 the previous week, it was announced Monday.

March 19: The Dolly tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton falls five points to No. 53 country in its 22nd chart week and drops out of the 50-position independent labels albums chart, down from No. 40 the previous week, in the March 27 Billboard figures released Thursday.

March 16: The Dolly tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton drops four places to No. 22 on the Americana Music Association's weekly radio airplay chart with 244 spins at reporting stations nationwide, it was announced Monday, down from 309 the previous week.

March 12: The Dolly tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton falls three points to No. 48 country in its 21st chart week and drops four to No. 40 on the independent labels albums chart in the March 20 Billboard numbers released Thursday.

March 9: The Dolly tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton drops five places to No. 18 on the Americana Music Association's weekly radio airplay chart with 309 spins at reporting stations nationwide, it was announced Monday, down from 380 the previous week.

March 8: Shania Twain's version of "Coat Of Many Colors" featuring Alison Krauss and Dolly on harmony from Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, enters the U.K. country airplay chart at No. 12, the European CMA reported Saturday. Mindy Smith's "Jolene" from the same album falls out of the French country top 20, down from No. 10, and out of the top 200 overall, down from No. 43.

March 5: The Dolly tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton falls three points to No. 45 country in its 20th chart week and drops 11 to No. 36 on the independent labels albums chart in the March 13 numbers released Thursday by Billboard.

March 2: Mindy Smith's debut CD, One Moment More, featuring Dolly vocals on her cover of "Jolene," inches up one spot to No. 4 on the Americana Music Association's weekly radio airplay chart with 555 spins at reporting stations nationwide, it was announced Monday. The Dolly tribute project Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton remains steady at No. 13 with 380 spins, down from 401 the previous week.

Feb. 27: The Dolly tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton gains four points to No. 42 country in its 19th chart week but drops six to No. 25 on the independent labels albums chart on the March 6 Billboard charts released on Thursday.

Feb. 26: Dolly snagged two nods in the preliminary nominations for the 2004 CMT Flame Worthy Video Awards, and Mindy Smith's "Jolene" from the tribute project Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton also is up for some awards as well. Dolly will host and perform on the live awards telecast from Nashville on April 21. Dolly is one of eight preliminary nominees for Flame Worthy Female Video Of The Year for "I'm Gone" from Halos & Horns and is up for a new category, Flame Worthy Cameo Of The Year, for her appearance in Smith's "Jolene." On the female side, other preliminary nominees are Sheryl Crow, Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Reba, Faith Hill, Patty Loveless and Shania Twain. For the cameo side, other hopefuls are the cast of Brad Paisley's "Celebrity," Marilu Henner, the cast of Chris Cagle's "Chicks Dig It," Jake the Dog for Dierks Bentley's "What Was I Thinkin'," Joe Don's rear end in "I Melt," Gena Lee Nolin and Bob Eubanks. "Jolene" puts Smith up for Flame Worthy Breakthrough Video Of The Year, and its director, Trey Fanjoy, is up for Flame Worthy Video Director Of The Year. Votes may be cast here through March 21 (you must register as a CMT.com user first, though). Final nominees, four in each category, will be announced March 24, with votes from that date through April 18 to choose the winners. CMT.com also features two awesome new "red hot" Dolly shots on the site to promote the awards -- one on the main page here and one on the Flameworthy news page here. They are also available in the site's Dolly photo gallery available here.

Feb. 24: Mindy Smith's debut CD, One Moment More, featuring Dolly on "Jolene," continues its trek toward the top of the Americana Music Association's weekly radio airplay chart, jumping five spots to No. 5 this week with 519 spins at reporting stations nationwide, it was announced Monday. The Dolly tribute project Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, itself a former Americana No. 1, slips one notch to No. 13 with 401 spins, down from 445 the previous week.

Feb. 23: Mindy Smith's version of "Jolene" from the tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, continues to be hot in Europe. The song jumps a whopping 121 points on the top 200 country singles airplay chart from the European CMA to come in at No. 43 this week. The song also gains four notches on the French country airplay chart to reach No. 10. Also, Dolly's "Hello God" from Halos & Horns is on the overall airplay chart at No. 93. Shania Twain's "Coat Of Many Colors" and Melissa Etheridge's "I Will Always Love You" both fall out of the top 200 overall. Twain also drops out of the top 20 in Germany, where her cover had been No. 14 last week, and Etheridge drops out of the top 20 country airplay charts in both Spain and Germany, where her song had been No. 2 and No. 19, respectively. Alison Krauss' version of "9 To 5" drops out of the top 20 in Spain, where it was No. 4 last week.

Feb. 21: Mindy Smith's video for "Jolene" from Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, featuring a Dolly cameo, moves up another two spots in its third week on the CMT Top 20 Video Countdown this week, the network announced on Thursday.

Feb. 20: The tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton slips four points to No. 46 country in its 18th chart week and remains steady at No. 19 on the independent labels albums chart in the Feb. 28 charts released Thursday by Billboard.

Feb. 18: While the songs from the Dolly tribute Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton aren't getting much airplay stateside, cuts from the CD are becoming very popular overseas, according to European CMA. Although nothing from the album appears on its official European country top 100 chart, three are in the top 200 airplay chart: Shania Twain's "Coat Of Many Colors" (with Dolly and Alison Krauss) at No. 67, Melissa Etheridge's "I Will Always Love You" at No. 84 and Mindy Smith's "Jolene" at No. 164. The individual songs are faring better in various countries. "I Will Always Love You" is No. 2 country in Spain and No. 19 country in Germany this week, where "Coat Of Many Colors" is No. 14. Also in Spain, Alison Krauss' cover of "9 To 5" is No. 4 country for the week, and over in France, "Jolene" is No. 14 country. Thanks, Tony!

Feb. 17: The Dolly tribute project Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton slips two more places on the Americana Music Association's weekly radio airplay chart, with the former No. 1 coming in at No. 12 this week, it was announced Monday. It had 445 spins at reporting radio stations nationwide, compared with 469 the previous week. Mindy Smith's One Moment More, featuring Dolly on her cover of "Jolene," moves up three spots to No. 10 with 478 spins.

Feb. 14: Singer Kasey Chambers of Australia has been named the Country Music Association's 2004 Global Country Artist Award winner, it was announced this week. Chambers performs "Little Sparrow" on the tribute collection Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton.

Feb. 13: The tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton falls three points to No. 42 country in its 17th chart week and one spot to No. 19 on the independent labels albums chart in the Feb. 21 Billboard tallies, it was announced Thursday.

Feb. 12: The alternative weekly Nashville Scene on Thursday will include its fourth annual Country Music Critics Poll, a survey of 90 reviewers and experts from across North America and Europe, and Dolly fares well. She comes in third place for the year's Best Female Vocalist behind friend Patty Loveless in first place. Second place Alison Krauss received just one point more than Dolly in the balloting, and third place Emmylou Harris received two votes fewer than Dolly. Other participants in the recent Dolly tribute project in the top 10 included Shelby Lynne, Allison Moorer, and Rhonda Vincent. Two Dolly projects made the list for Best Albums: Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs Of The Louvin Brothers at No. 3 and Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton at No. 15. Rodney Crowell's Fate's Right Hand took No. 1 and Patty Loveless' On Your Way Home No. 2. Read more about the survey here.

Feb. 10: The Dolly tribute project Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton slips three more places on the Americana Music Association's weekly radio airplay chart, with the former No. 1 album coming in at No. 10, it was announced Monday. It had 469 spins at reporting radio stations nationwide, compared with 498 the previous week. Mindy Smith's One Moment More, featuring Dolly on her version of "Jolene," jumps up 13 spots to No. 13 with 391 spins.

Feb. 6: The tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton falls two points to No. 39 country in its 16th chart week and five spots to No. 18 on the independent labels albums chart in the Feb. 14 numbers, Billboard announced Thursday.

Feb. 3: The tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton falls two places this week on the Americana Music Association's chart to No. 7, it was announced Monday. The CD had 498 spins at reporting radio stations, compared to 542 the previous week.

Feb. 2: Vancouver, Canada's North Shore News offered a raving review of the tribute project Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton on Saturday, giving the CD seven out of 10 stars. Reviewer John Goodman notes: "Parton has always had a fabulous sense of the dynamic spectrum of country music with her tunes ranging from the raw roots of Appalachia on through to the pop craft of Nashville. The new record album helps to set the record straight." Read the full review here.

Jan. 30: The tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton falls 12 points to No. 37 in the Feb. 7 Billboard country albums chart in its 15th chart week, it was announced Thursday. The album drops six notches to No. 13 on the independent labels albums chart and falls off the pop albums chart after logging in a ninth chart week at No. 191 the previous week.

Jan. 27: There will be some more of Dolly and Shania on The Oprah Winfrey Show on Tuesday, it was announced on Monday. Although most of the episode will focus on "The Man Who Discovered Oprah" when she was 16-years-old and got a job on a Nashville radio station, the show will also include "moments you've never seen" from after the taping of last year's episode in which Shania Twain and Dolly appeared to promote the tribute album. Also scheduled are never-before broadcast portions of an episode with rapper P. Diddy. The show is syndicated, so check local listings for the station in your area, but it airs at 4 p.m. in most markets.

Jan. 23: Vanguard Records confirms that the bonus track of "Jolene" featuring Dolly will, in fact, appear on Mindy Smith's debut album, One Moment More, which drops on Tuesday. The cut is Smith's original version from the tribute collection Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton with one important change: Dolly has recorded backing vocals which have been added to the track in a style modeled after their duet version on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno last year. The problem with some stores and all of the CD reviews not noting the cut's inclusion came from the fact that the decision to add it to the album was made after advance copies had been sent out to the media and record stores. Thanks, Lellie!

Jan. 20: The Dolly tribute collection Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton slips another three spots on the Australian country albums chart this week to come in at No. 18 in its 14th week on the 20-position chart, it was announced on Monday. The CD had peaked at No. 6 Down Under.

Jan. 16: The repeat of the Dolly tribute episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show translated into a big jump in sales of the tribute CD dedicated to her, according to the Jan. 24 Billboard charts released Thursday. Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton earns the "Greatest Gainer" title for the country albums chart for the largest increase in sales for the week with a 15-point leap to No. 16 in its 13th chart week, reflecting the first week of sales after the TV show re-ran nationally earlier this month. It had peaked at No. 6 country. The collection is also named the "Greatest Gainer" on the independent labels albums chart with a nine-notch increase to No. 4, just two short of its No. 2 peak position. The CD re-enters the pop albums chart at No. 124 to log in an eighth week where it had previously peaked at No. 55 and the comprehensive albums chart at No. 128 for a fourth week where it had previously peaked at No. 111. The show also apparently impacted the sales of Ultimate Dolly Parton, as that compilation CD re-enters the country albums tally for a 25th chart week, coming in at No. 66. It had peaked at No. 20. The Johnny Cash boxed set Unearthed, including two Dolly covers, shoots up 20 places on the country chart to No. 50 in its seventh chart week. The tribute album Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs Of The Louvin Brothers, featuring a Dolly cut, increases eight places to No. 57 country in its seventh week. Toby Keith's Shock'n Y'all, remains at No. 1 country for its 10th week and gains four spots to No. 5 pop, while Alan Jackson's Greatest Hits Volume 2 remains at No. 2 country in its 22nd chart week and gains eight notches on the pop chart to No. 19.

Jan. 13: The tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton slips another spot to No. 3 on the Americana Music Association's albums chart, based on radio airplay the previous week, it was announced on Monday. The CD, which peaked at No. 1 last month, logged 641 spins on radio nationwide, down from 716 spins the previous week.

Jan. 12: The Courier-Journal weekend section in Louisville, Ky., the Louisville Scene, on Saturday offered a glowing review of Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, giving it three and a half stars and noting: "The album is full of surprises and elegant moments, to remind listeners that for all her excesses — big hair, big breasts and Dollywood — Dolly Parton is no joke. The woman is flat-out brilliant and more than deserving of a tribute album." Read the full review here.

Jan. 10: The Dolly tribute project Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton gains seven notches on the Jan. 8 Canadian country albums chart to come in at No. 16 in its 12th week, it was announced Friday. It had peaked at No. 7.

Jan. 9: The Dolly tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton gains six notches to No. 31 country in its 12th chart week, according to the Jan. 17 Billboard numbers announced Thursday. The CD falls four spots on the independent labels albums chart to No. 13.

Jan. 7: A new version of "Jolene" featuring Dolly is about to be released, it has been announced. Sugar Hill sister label Vanguard Records has added a recording of the song by Mindy Smith and Dolly as a bonus track to Smith's debut album, One Moment More, which hits stores Jan. 27. The track is the only cut on the disc not written by Smith, whom Dolly says "will leave her mark as one of our greatest writers and singers ever." Smith's solo version of the Dolly classic was the first single and video off of Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, and the two performed it together at several appearances to promote the project, but this will mark the first time a version with both singers' vocals will be released commercially. Reserve your copy of the CD here! Thanks, Michelle!

Jan. 6: The tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton slipped one spot to No. 2 on the Americana Music Association's albums chart this week, based on radio airplay. The CD, which had taken the No. 1 spot on the most recent chart a couple of weeks ago before the countdown's year-end hiatus, logged 716 spins on radio nationwide, compared to 783 spins the week it topped the chart. I would expect airplay and sales to pick up this week following Monday's repeat of The Oprah Winfrey Show episode largely dedicated to the project.

Jan. 5: Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton falls back out of the Australian top 10 country albums chart this week, it was announced Sunday. The tribute album was at No. 10 last week, its 10th chart week, and had peaked at No. 6.

Jan. 3: The year in review issue of gay and lesbian newsmagazine The Advocate is out (Jan. 20 edition), and its critics named Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton the seventh-best CD of the year, noting: "A tribute to powerful women—including Melissa, Meshell, Shania, and Sinéad—as much as to stealth feminist Dolly." Tribute participant Me'Shell N'dedgéOcello took the publication's No. 1 spot with her album Comfort Woman. The issue also features a cover story with another singer on the disc, Melissa Etheridge, and her wife, Tammy Lynn Michaels. Read their full list of the year's top albums here.

Jan. 2: After logging a second week at No. 57, Shania Twain cover of Dolly's "Coat Of Many Colors" with Alison Krauss featuring duet harmonies by Dolly falls back off the 60-position country singles chart in the Jan. 10 Billboard tally, it was announced Thursday. The tribute album from which the song comes, Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, loses one notch to No. 37 country in its 11th week and two spots on the independent labels albums chart to No. 9.

Dec. 29: Another best-of-year list includes the Dolly tribute Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton. The Cape Cod Times over the weekend named the collection the 29th best CD of 2003. Although there were a couple of folk artists in the list, the disc was the only mostly-country title in the paper's top 40. Taking the No. 1 spot was OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Read the full list here.

Dec. 26: The Shania Twain cover of Dolly's "Coat Of Many Colors" with Alison Krauss featuring duet harmonies by Dolly re-entered the Jan. 3 Billboard country singles chart, it was announced on Christmas Day. The single logs in a second week at No. 57, the same position it held when it debuted three weeks ago. As has been reported here before, the song is charting due to radio airplay even though it hasn't been released as an official single (Twain's label, Mercury, prohibited Sugar Hill from releasing it as a single) and therefore doesn't credit Dolly since she isn't identified as performing on the duet lines on the cut on the album's track listing, just in the liner notes. The tribute album from which the song comes, Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, loses three notches to No. 36 country in its 10th week but gains one spot on the independent labels albums chart to No. 7. It had previously peaked at No. 6 country and No. 2 indie.

Dec. 25: The Associated Press on Wednesday named the Dolly tribute collection Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton the fourth-best album of the year and only country disc on their list. Reviewer Nekesa Mumbi Moody noted the CD celebrates Dolly's "least-celebrated aspect," her amazing songwriting abilities, calling it a "standout" among the numerous tribute discs out there. She also singles out Shania Twain and Mindy Smith for their contributions. R. Kelly took the No. 1 spot with his CD Chocolate Factory. Others in top 10 were R&B and/or hip-hop artists OutKast, 50 Cent, Erykah Badu, Beyonce and Ludacris, jazz singers Lizz Wright and Garage A Trois and rockabilly legend Wanda Jackson. Read the full list here. Thanks, Michael!

Dec. 19: The tribute collection Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, remains steady at No. 33 country in its ninth chart week, Billboard announced Thursday in its Dec. 27 numbers, but it loses up one point on the independent label albums chart to come in at No. 8 and falls back off the pop albums chart after logging a seventh week the previous week at No. 188.

Dec. 17: The New Zealand site Stuff on Tuesday offered its second published review of the Dolly tribute collection Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, this time originally from The Dominion Post. Giving it four stars, the reviewer praises Dolly's own talent for covering others' material and notes that the collection showcases her amazing songwriting ability as well. He singles out Alison Krauss, Shania Twain, Kasey Chambers and Dolly herself for their contributions but says Mindy Smith's "Jolene" steals the show. He concludes that the CD is "worthy of investigation for fans, neophytes and especially for cynics." Read the full review here.

Dec. 16: CMT.com's critics on Monday unveiled their lists of the best country CDs of the year, and Dolly is in there! All four critics included the tribute collection Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs Of The Louvin Brothers in their top 10s. Chet Flippo gave a nod to the Johnny Cash boxed set Unearthed, which contains two covers of Dolly's "I'm A Drifter." And Calvin Gilbert included the Dolly tribute Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, opining: "More eclectic than the Louvin Brothers tribute, Just Because I'm a Woman is also more uneven. Still, Norah Jones does a wonderful take on 'The Grass Is Blue,' and newcomer Mindy Smith succeeds in tackling 'Jolene.' And if you still have any questions about Shania Twain's vocal talent, check out her wonderful version of 'Coat of Many Colors.'" Read their full lists here.

Dec. 15: The Shania Twain/Alison Krauss/Dolly remake of "Coat Of Many Colors" falls out of the 60-position country singles chart in the Dec. 20 Billboard numbers released Thursday. The song, which had debuted at No. 57 the previous week, had not been issued as a single due to contractual restrictions from Twain's label but had managed to get enough airplay on its own from the album to make the chart, albeit without giving Dolly credit for the duet harmony on the cut. The tribute album which contains the track, Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, falls four notches to reach No. 33 country in its eighth chart week but inches up one point on the independent label albums chart to come in at No. 7 and re-enters the pop albums chart for a seventh week, reaching No. 188 (it had peaked at No. 55).

Dec. 9: The Dolly tribute collection Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton was the most-played Americana-genre CD in America last week, according to the Americana Music Association, which tracks radio airplay. The CD moved up two spots to No. 1 for the week, it was announced Monday, with 783 spins at radio nationwide, compared to 729 the week before.

Dec. 8: Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton falls out of the top 10 Australian country albums on the charts released Sunday, down from last week's No. 8 spot in its seventh chart week. It had peaked at No. 6.

Dec. 6 The New Zealand Herald on Saturday will include a very praiseful review of the tribute collection Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, giving it four out of five stars. Reviewer Graham Reid noted that it "includes some of the finest, most sympathetic and diverse women singers and interpreters around paying tribute to Dolly's assertive and often uncompromising lyrics." He concludes: "It's a strong collection and reinforces the emotional depth of Parton's songs." Read the full review here.

Dec. 5: Dolly is back on radio, the new charts released by Billboard on Thursday indicate, even if she doesn't get credit for it this time. The new version of "Coat Of Many Colors" from Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton debuts on the Dec. 13 country singles chart at No. 57. The song is credited to "Shania Twain With Alison Krauss & Union Station," since that is the way it is listed on the album. However, while most people think that is Alison singing the duet harmony lines during the song, it's not -- it's Dolly, who is credited on the album's liner notes for her contribution to the recording. To the best of my knowledge, the song has not been released as an official single off of the project, which means that radio likes it so much that it's getting fairly good airplay on its own. I suspect if it is released as an official single, Sugar Hill Records will add "Featuring Dolly Parton" to the artists' name. The tribute album itself falls four spots to No. 29 country for its seventh chart week and three points to No. 8 on the indie albums side. The CD falls off the 200-position pop and comprehensive albums charts, down from No. 172 and No. 198, respectively, last week.

Dec. 2: The tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton remains steady at No. 3 on the weekly Americana Music Association countdown with 729 spins at radio during the previous week, it was announced Monday, up from 724 spins the week before.

Dec. 1: Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton inches down one spot to No. 8 on the Australian country album chart in its seventh chart week Down Under, it was announced Sunday. The set had previously peaked at No. 6.

Nov. 29: Dolly and Melissa were stunning performing together on CMT's Crossroads Friday night, with their voices and personalities blending perfectly throughout the evening. Dolly opened with an awesome bluegrass version of "Come To My Window," followed by Melissa giving an amazing rock-meets-bluegrass version of "Jolene," which, with how well she sang it, should have been her contribution to the Dolly tribute project! Melissa offered an emotional cover of "Coat Of Many Colors," and Dolly's take on "I Want To Be In Love" was simply gorgeous. She belted out Melissa's "Bring Me Some Water," and the two were wonderful on "I Will Always Love You," which was much more delicate than Melissa's version on the tribute disc. The show closed with a rollickin' "9 To 5," which was so good Melissa should record it herself. Between concert footage, the pair were interviewed by host Radney Foster at Melissa's home, covering subjects from their childhoods, drag queens and the slight differences between country and rock to Porter Wagoner and the openness each has regarding her private life, plus they offered an acoustic version of Elvis Presley's "All Shook Up." The show even boasted a question-and-answer period where audience members asked Melissa about her version of "I Will Always Love You" from Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton (she said she wanted it to sound a bit "psycho"), what song she and her new wife danced to at their wedding ("My Girl") and what cover by another artist of one of her songs Dolly found the most surprising (Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You"). Unfortunately, three songs recorded at the concert in Hollywood in October were cut from the broadcasted version: Melissa's cover of "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right," Dolly's take on "You Can Sleep While I Drive" and a duet of Johnny Cash's "I Walk The Line" (which had Dolly joking as they sang face-to-face "I'm not Madonna -- I'm MaDolly! Don't make me kiss you!" Also in introducing the song, Dolly said her first crush was on Johnny, and Melissa said her first crush was on "a certain young lady on The Porter Wagoner Show!"). A clip from that final song, including Dolly's joshing line, was shown during commercials promoting the special, but its performance was cut from the final version. Hopefully, CMT will see fit to release the full-length concert as a DVD including the deleted songs. We can only hope! The show will repeat on CMT throughout the month.

Nov. 28: The tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton falls 14 spots to No. 25 country for its sixth chart week in the Dec. 6 Billboard charts, it was announced Thursday. The album drops 64 spaces on the pop albums chart to No. 172, two points to No. 5 on the indie albums side and 87 places to No. 198 for its second week on the new comprehensive albums chart.

Nov. 25: The tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton inches up another notch to No. 3 on the weekly Americana Music Association countdown with 724 spins at radio during the previous week, it was announced Monday, up from 703 spins the week before.

Nov. 24: Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton inches down one spot to No. 7 on the Australian country album chart in its sixth chart week Down Under, it was announced Sunday. The set had previously peaked at No. 6.

Nov. 21: The tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton inches down four spots to No. 11 country for its fifth chart week, falling 53 spaces on the pop albums chart to No. 108 and one point to No. 3 on the indie albums side in the Nov. 29 Billboard charts, it was announced Thursday. Billboard also debuted a new chart this week, titled the "Comprehensive Albums" chart. On that one, Woman debuts at No. 111.

Nov. 18: The tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton remains steady at No. 4 on the weekly Americana Music Association countdown with 703 spins at radio during the previous week, it was announced Monday, up from 668 spins the week before.

Nov. 17: Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton inches up one spot to No. 6 on the Australian country album chart in its fifth chart week Down Under, it was announced Sunday. The set had previously peaked at No. 6.

Nov. 15: Perhaps the biggest Dolly news of the week came on Thursday, when it was announced that the tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton showed the largest percentage increase in sales of all country albums for the week of her appearance on the CMA Awards (where she performed "The Grass Is Blue" with Norah Jones) and The Oprah Winfrey Show (where Melissa Etheridge and Shania Twain participated in a tribute to Dolly and performed cuts from the album with her). The CD earns the chart's "Pacesetter" designation for the largest improvement in chart position due to its massive 170 percent increase in sales over the previous week to around 26,000 copies, jumping nine spots to No. 7 on the Nov. 22 Billboard country albums chart for its fourth chart week, just one shy of its peak position of No. 6. Sugar Hill Records General Manager Bev Paul noted, "The quality of this year's CMA Awards was stellar. Combining Norah Jones with Dolly Parton created a unique opportunity for viewers who would never see these two artists together anywhere else. We have certainly seen a spectacular return on sales due to Dolly's participation in the show." The next-largest increase came for Horizon Award winner Joe Nichols with a 149 percent sales boost, but both Twain and Jones saw significant increases in their solo album sales as well following their appearances with Dolly. The tribute collection also shoots up a whopping 70 spots on the pop albums chart, coming in at No. 55 (higher than its previous peak position of No. 67), and earns the "Greatest Gainer" designation for the largest sales increase on the independent labels albums chart for a five-point leap to No. 2 (higher than its previous peak position of No. 5). I would expect sales to slowly slip over the next few weeks and then pick up the last week of the month when CMT repeats the CMA Awards on Nov. 28, immediately followed by the network's premiere of the Crossroads concert of Dolly and Etheridge at 10 p.m. that night.

Nov. 11: The tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton remains steady at No. 4 on the weekly Americana Music Association countdown with 668 spins at radio during the previous week, it was announced Monday, down from 678 spins the week before.

Nov. 10: Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton remains steady at No. 7 on the Australian country album chart in its fourth chart week Down Under, it was announced Sunday. The set had peaked at No. 6.

Nov. 7: The tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton loses five spots to No. 16 on the Nov. 15 country albums chart in its third week, Billboard announced Thursday, but I would expect a sharp spike in sales when next week's numbers are released following her appearance on Oprah and the CMA Awards. The collection gains one notch to No. 7 on the independents list and drops 23 places to No. 125 on the pop albums chart.

Nov. 5: The tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton moves up another three spots to No. 4 on the weekly Americana Music Association countdown with 678 spins at radio during the previous week, it was announced Tuesday, up from 590 spins the week before. Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs Of The Louvin Brothers, on which Dolly and Sonya Isaacs contribute "The Angels Rejoiced," remains steady at No. 17 with 400 spins.

Nov. 4: The Toronto Sun on Monday had a wonderful interview with Dolly, including talk of Tuesday's broadcast of The Oprah Winfrey Show and how both she and Shania Twain started crying as Shania spoke of the inspiration brought to her life by "Coat Of Many Colors," which they perform on the broadcast. It also includes some discussion of her appearance with Norah Jones on Wednesday night's CMA Awards on CBS and next week's U.S.-only release of For God And Country. Read the full story here.

Nov. 3: Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton remains steady at No. 7 on the Australian country album chart in its third chart week Down Under, it was announced Sunday.

Oct. 31: The tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton loses five spots to No. 11 on the Nov. 8 country albums chart in its second week, Billboard announced Thursday. The collection slips three notches to No. 8 on the independents list and 35 places to No. 102 on the pop albums chart. Ultimate Dolly Parton falls two to No. 73 for its 21st chart week. Alan Jackson's Greatest Hits Volume 2 remains steady at No. 1 country for a 10th week and No. 25 pop in its 11th chart week, while Martina McBride's Martina remains steady at No. 2 country and falls nine to No. 42 pop in its fourth chart week.

Oct. 30: Western North Carolina's Smoky Mountain News offered its opinion on the tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton this week, giving the collection three out of five stars and saying it "provides a chance to step back from the elaborate package that is Dolly Parton — movie star, theme park magnate, faux dumb blonde country girl — and consider her merits as a songwriter." The reviewer noted: "The performances are strong, and the songs shine," singling out Norah Jones, Joan Osborne, Me'Shell N'dedgéOcello, Emmylou Harris and Alison Krauss. Read the full review here.

Oct. 29: Bluegrass virtuoso Rhonda Vincent has been added to the guest list at next week's CMA Awards, it was announced Tuesday. The chanteuse will provide harmony vocals for Dolly's duet with Norah Jones on "The Grass Is Blue," awards officials said. And speaking of the CMAs, I'm told that CMT has begun airing promos for its annual CMA Nominee Report, which of course include Dolly as a Female Vocalist Of The Year nominee. Thanks, Dawn! According to CMT.com, the show airs at 4 p.m. Eastern Sunday.

Oct. 28: Dolly's tribute CD, Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, continues to get rave reviews this week!

Oct. 27: Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton falls one to No. 7 on the Australian country chart in its second chart week, it was announced Sunday, while Ultimate Dolly Parton drops out of the top 10 Down Under, down from No. 8 in its eighth chart week last week. In the U.K., however, the tribute album didn't sell enough copies in its first week to make the top 75 British pop albums chart.

Oct. 25: The tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton continues to receive praise. The Aspen Times on Friday raved over the quality of Dolly's songwriting and the top-notch performances on the disc. Read the review here.

Oct. 24: The tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton gets the "Hot Shot Debut" designation on both the country and independent label album charts as the highest-debuting CD in the Nov. 1 Billboard tallies, it was announced Thursday. The collection debuts at No. 6 on the country side and No. 5 on the independents list. As was reported here Wednesday night, the record debuts at No. 67 on the pop albums chart. Ultimate Dolly Parton remains steady at No. 71 for its 20th chart week, while Kenny Rogers' Back To The Well, featuring the Dolly duet "Undercover," falls off the 75-position country chart, down from No. 75 last week in its 3rd chart week. Alan Jackson's Greatest Hits Volume 2 remains steady at No. 1 for a ninth week in its 10th chart week, losing three spots to No. 25 pop, while Martina McBride's former No. 1 Martina also remains steady at No. 2 country and falls 15 to No. 33 pop in its third chart week.

Oct. 23: The tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton will debut at No. 67 on the Nov. 1 Billboard pop albums chart, it was announced Wednesday. That high of a ranking on the pop side should translate to a debut around No. 4 or 5 on the country albums chart when those numbers are released on Thursday.

Oct. 22: Dolly's tribute episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, taped on Monday, will now air during the television "sweeps" period and the week of the CMA Awards, it has been announced, although the definite date is questionable. Nashville columnist Hazel Smith on Tuesday said on her radio show just that it will air during CMA week, while CountryStars.com reported Monday that it will air on Nov. 5, and Sugar Hill Records says it will air on Nov. 4. More as I learn it! Thanks, Bridget and Dawn!

Oct. 21: A reader who attended Dolly's taping of The Oprah Winfrey Show on Monday said it was an awesome occasion. Wearing an orange gown and short wig, Dolly was lauded by Shania Twain and Melissa Etheridge. Alison Krauss also appeared, but only to sing, not to be interviewed. The performances were as follows:

Dolly didn't talk about her Nov. 11 release, For God And Country, but the reader who attended did get a brief chance to meet her following the taping and asked about the CD and whether she plans to tour to promote it, and she told him that she is definitely planning to tour in 2004. He also told her that he bought her DVD at Wal-Mart, to which she giggled. Thanks, Christian!

One worrisome note, however, Oprah's Web site on Monday removed the Dolly tribute episode from its listing for Thursday, replacing it with "Real Life CSI Stories." Friday's show is listed as "TBA," so Dolly's may be moving to that day instead.

Oct. 20: The Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune on Sunday ran a stellar review of the tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, calling it "an example of how to do [a tribute album] right, with one righteously reimagined song after another." Read it here.

Oct. 18: VH1's Rock On TV reported on Friday that Dolly's appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, to be taped with Shania Twain and Alison Krauss on Monday to promote Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, will premiere on Thursday, Oct. 23, and will also include Melissa Etheridge. The show airs at 4 p.m. in most markets, but it is syndicated, so times may vary. It will be broadcast just a few hours before Dolly's appearance on Lifetime for the Women Rock! breast cancer benefit concert, which comes on at 10 p.m. on the cable network.

Oct. 17: Alison Krauss has been confirmed as a guest to tape The Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago on Monday with Dolly and Shania Twain. I'm told that she is slated to appear so she can sing background harmony for Shania, who will be performing her new single, "She's Not Just A Pretty Face," as well as a duet with Dolly on "Coat Of Many Colors." Krauss and Dolly both sing harmony on Shania's cover of the song from the tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton. Thanks!

Oct. 16: CMT.com on Wednesday evening posted a great story on the tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton as its lead article. It's filled with quotes from Dolly about the album and quotes from several of the project's participants. Read it here. And the site also posted its question of the day about the album on Wednesday, asking readers what they believed was the strongest track. As it had just been released the day before, 70 percent of respondents as of late Wednesday hadn't heard any of the songs, but the other choices came down as Melissa Etheridge's "I Will Always Love You" with 13 percent, Alison Krauss' "9 To 5" with 10 percent, Norah Jones' "The Grass Is Blue" with 5 percent and Shelby Lynne's "The Seeker" with 2 percent. Vote here!

Oct. 15: Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton hit store shelves on Tuesday, and the reviews started coming in.

Oct. 14: With Tuesday's release of the all-star tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton coming, Sugar Hill Records on Monday concluded its weekly preview of the album's tracks with a two-for-one day, posting the full-length versions of both Me'Shell N'dedgéOcello's cover of "Two Doors Down" and Dolly's new version of the project's title track. Take a listen from their site here, see the site's e-card here or CMT's track-a-day promotion here. Reserve your copy of the CD here

Oct. 13: The big week is finally here! Dolly's all-star tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton drops on Tuesday (see a story/review in Saturday's The State newspaper in South Carolina here), the same day as the new DVD Dolly Parton: Behind The Scenes featuring an interview with Dolly about the project, the video for Mindy Smith's "Jolene," an interview about and samples of songs from next month's For God And Country, the video for "Color Me America" from that album and three of her other Sugar Hill videos. Get out there and get yours today!

Oct. 11: Thanks to a Wal-Mart clerk who put out the DVD in a store before its scheduled release on Tuesday and an astute reader who saw it and purchased a copy, information is now available on Dolly Parton: Behind The Scenes. The DVD is being released by Dolly's Blue Eye Records, Sugar Hill parent company Welk Music Group and Americana Entertainment. It contains full-length music videos for Dolly's "Shine," "I'm Gone," and "Dagger Through The Heart," as well as Mindy Smith's "Jolene" with its Dolly cameo. But, best of all, it has a brand-new music video for "Color Me America" from next month's new CD For God And Country as well as small samples of each song on that upcoming album. In addition, Dolly is interviewed talking about that project and the tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton. And it's at a rock-bottom price. Although Wal-Mart's Web site is showing an already amazingly low price tag of $8.98, my friend found it for $5.88 at his local store. The DVD is expected to be released only to super-sized retailers like Wal-Mart instead of to standard video or music stores. Thanks, Jason!

Oct. 8: Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton debuts this week on the Americana Music Association's top 50 albums chart based on airplay, it was announced Tuesday. The CD, which hits stores next week, jumped up from No. 65 last week to No. 22 this week with cuts from it garnering with 308 "spins" this week on radio stations nationwide, up from 122 last week and zero the week before that. Most spins are coming from the collection's first single, Mindy Smith's version of "Jolene," which hit radio two weeks ago.

Oct. 7: Sugar Hill Records continued its weekly preview of next week's tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, this week featuring Allison Moorer's full-length version of "Light Of A Clear Blue Morning." You may also listen to samples of all 13 cuts on the site's e-card here, and remember CMT is doing the track-a-day promotion now here. Reserve your copy of the CD here.

Oct. 6: The British version of the awesome star-studded Dolly tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs of Dolly Parton, will be released a little later than expected, it has been announced. The album will come out overseas on Oct. 20, according to Amazon UK, using different cover art (see image at left) than its U.S. release, set to hit stores Oct. 14. It had originally been slated for an Oct. 13 release in England, and is still apparently on for that date in Australia. Thanks, Linda!

Oct. 4: The commercial music service Rhapsody this week began offering subscribers the streaming audio of the Dolly tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton with an exclusive bonus. The site has posted an exclusive track of Dolly talking about the album and singing the chorus of "My Tennessee Mountain Home." About the CD, the site notes: "Strong female singers pay tribute to one of the best. There are names you'd expect (Alison Krauss, Shania Twain), and others you might not (Norah Jones, Sinead O'Connor). You also get reintroduced to one of the U.S.'s finest, undervalued songwriters." To read a transcript of what Dolly has to say on the bonus online track, click here, and to learn more about Rhapsody, click here. Thanks, Richard!

Oct. 3: It was delayed a few days, but Sugar Hill Records on Thursday continued the weekly preview of its Oct. 14 tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton with the full version of Sinéad O'Connor's cover of "Dagger Through The Heart." You may also listen to samples of all 13 cuts on the site's e-card here, and remember CMT is doing the track-a-day promotion now here. Reserve your copy of the CD here, and visit the Dollymania page for the project here.

Oct. 2: The official West Coast CD release party for the Dolly Oct. 14 tribute collection Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, has been set for Thursday, Oct. 16 at LA's Oasis Nightclub, it's been announced. DJ Wes, who also hosted the official West Coast release party for Little Sparrow at the gay establishment in 2001, says local entertainer Jackie Beat will be on hand for her own Dolly tribute by performing "9 To 5" live as well as a song titled "Dollywood," which is written to the tune of Madonna's "Hollywood." Free CDs will be given away, and anyone over 18 is welcome. Thanks, Wes!

Oct. 1: Dolly and Norah Jones will duet at the Country Music Association Awards in November, the CMA announced late Monday morning. The pair, who will be performing together for the first time ever, will sing Dolly's "The Grass Is Blue," which Jones recorded for the Oct. 14 tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton. The press release (available here) quickly made the news pages at CMT.com and Billboard. Dolly, who has won eight regular CMA Awards and one special award (the CMA Honors in 1995), is nominated this year for Female Vocalist Of The Year, her first nod in that category in 16 years. Other performers announced so far include Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffet, who will open the evening with "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere," Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney and Patty Loveless. CMA Executive Director Ed Benson said: "Once again, 'The CMA Awards' is the place for music fans to experience these rare, once-in-a-lifetime performances from their favorite artists. The unique combinations of Dolly & Norah and Alan & Jimmy will create those exciting magical moments that 'The CMA Awards' have become known for and music fans love." Vince Gill hosts for the 12th year in a row. The show airs live on CBS at 8 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 5.

Sept. 26: It has been confirmed that Dolly's Oct. 9 appearance on NBC's The Tonight Show With Jay Leno reported here Wednesday night is, as suspected, to promote Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton. I'm told that she and Mindy Smith, who sings the album's first single, "Jolene," will appear together to perform the song as a duet. Thanks!

Sept. 25: No official confirmation yet, but some TV listing services are showing Dolly as a guest on NBC's The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on Oct. 9. I would expect she will be there to promote the tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, which will be released five days later on Oct. 14. More details as I learn them.

Sept. 24: Sugar Hill Records this week posted a new e-card on the upcoming Dolly tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, which is to be released Oct. 14. The card features clips from all 13 of the album's cuts, the full video for Mindy Smith's cover of "Jolene" (with Dolly opening and closing the story, see image at left), a contest (although it doesn't say exactly what you can win -- but you may enter through Oct. 14; more details to come soon) and a link to e-mail the card to friends. Take a look here! Thanks!

Sept. 23: Sugar Hill Records on Monday posted the ninth preview track for the Oct. 14 tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, Kasey Chambers' version of "Little Sparrow." Take a listen from their site here.

Sept. 20: Money magazine Forbes gave the thumbs up this week to the Dolly tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs of Dolly Parton, arriving in stores Oct. 14. The magazine's reviewer noted that Dolly "has one of the strongest songwriting catalogs in country music" and that this "lovely" CD captures several "reverent classics." Alison Krauss and Norah Jones were singled out for their performances, and Shania Twain's cover of "Coat of Many Colors" was called "moving." He also lauded Dolly's new version of the title song, saying "she sounds good as ever." Read the full review here.

Sept. 16: It was confirmed to Dollymania on Monday that Dolly's taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show has, in fact, been moved to Oct. 20. Although an air date has not been officially confirmed, it is rumored that plans are to air it on or around Oct. 22. Currently, the only confirmed guests for the program who have been announced are Dolly and Shania Twain, whose cover of "Coat Of Many Colors" with Dolly and Alison Krauss and Union Station from Sugar Hill Records' Oct. 14 tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton was made available by the label on Monday on its preview page here.

Sept. 15: I saw an advance copy of Mindy Smith's video for "Jolene" from the tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton over the weekend, and it's great. It begins with Dolly seated at a table outside, opening a book and writing the lyrics on the page. It cuts to a house where Smith watches her boyfriend drive away to meet Jolene on a dark country road. Smith tosses in bed, sits on the floor playing her guitar, then sets out into the night with a lantern to confront the pair. As the song ends, Dolly is again shown closing the book. The single and video should be sent to radio and television in the next few weeks.

Sept. 12: Shania Twain's official site (here)on Thursday confirmed she will be a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show "this fall" to perform both her new single, "She's Not Just A Pretty Face," and a duet with Dolly on "Coat Of Many Colors." It doesn't specifically list the Oct. 22 date, but I'm fairly sure that will be it because that's the day Dolly is scheduled to tape an episode dedicated to the tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, and that is also the night Shania will be in Chicago, where Oprah films, for a concert. The show is also expected to include additional artists from the CD, but no others have been announced yet.

Sept. 8: Sugar Hill Records on Monday updated its Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton preview with Emmylou Harris' 1978 recording of "To Daddy." Take a listen from Sugar Hill's site here, and reserve your copy of the Oct. 14 release here.

Sept. 4: According to Shania Twain's official Web site (here), she will be performing a concert the evening of Oct. 22 in Chicago, where the Oprah Winfrey Show is taped. This could just be a coincidence, or it might indicate that she'll appear on the show's episode focusing on Dolly and the tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton. It could also explain why the episode is taping more than week after the Oct. 14 release date of the CD, as a Shania appearance would certainly be a major boost in ratings for the show. Stay tuned for more information as it comes in! Also, to answer readers' questions, I've done some digging, and the CD is apparently slated to be released in both Great Britain and Australia on Oct. 13. Thanks!

Sept. 3: Sugar Hill Records on Tuesday continued its weekly preview of the upcoming all-star tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, which hits stores Oct. 14. The sixth selection is Mindy Smith's cover of "Jolene," which is slated to be the project's first single and video, likely toward the end of this month. Visit Sugar Hill's page here with the previews!.

Aug. 28: Dolly was confirmed this week as a guest on The Orpah Winfrey Show for an episode apparently to focus on the upcoming tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton. The show is to film Oct. 22. A final air date has not been released, but her shows generally run very close to the shooting date. Dolly is expected to perform "I Will Always Love You," and producers are currently working on securing other guests from the tribute album for the taping. Look for more information here as soon as it becomes available!

Aug. 26: Sugar Hill Records on Monday continued its weekly preview of the upcoming all-star tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, which hits stores Oct. 14. The fifth selection is Shelby Lynne's R&B and black gospel-infused cover of "The Seeker." Visit Sugar Hill's page here with the previews!

Aug. 25: Amazon.com has added a page to reserve your copy of the Oct. 14 tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton from Sugar Hill Records. Get yours here!

Aug. 19: Sugar Hill Records on Monday added the fourth cut in its weekly preview of the Oct. 14 release Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, and this time it's Joan Osborne's wonderful acoustic cover of "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind." Her sweet voice sounds an awful lot like Patty Loveless on this song, in my opinion. Take a listen here.

Aug. 15: A reader obtained an early advance of the Oct. 14 release Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton before the official copies have been shipped to the media and passed the CD on to me. Thanks! So I'm pleased to offer you a review here!

Aug. 12: Sugar Hill Records on Monday added the third cut in its weekly preview of the Oct. 14 release Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, and this time it's Grammy darling Norah Jones' rendition of "The Grass Is Blue." She offers such sultry, jazzy vocals that it sounds like it's a different song! Take a listen here.

Aug. 9: You may recall Dollymania breaking the news a week ago that Mindy Smith's cover of Dolly's "Jolene" would be the first single from the Oct. 14 Sugar Hill tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, set to go to radio in late September with an accompanying video to be released soon as well, but we didn't know at the time that Dolly would be in it herself! CMT reported Friday that Dolly has a cameo appearance in the background of the video, which was shot on Thursday in a rural area near Nashville. Dolly told CMT.com: "I'm kind of like in the background, kind of telling the story like I know what's going to happen. It's almost like I'm the ghost of 30 years ago when I wrote the song." Read the full story here.

Aug. 8: Sugar Hill Records on Tuesday posted the second weekly preview clip from the star-studded Oct. 14 tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton. This week, the guest artist is out rocker Melissa Etheridge, who turns in a stunningly soulful rendition of Dolly's classic "I Will Always Love You." The cut infuses into Etheridge's voice every possible drop of painful emotion in the lyrics, offering a far, far superior version when compared to the vocal acrobatics of Whitney Houston's mega-hit cover of the tune. Visit the Sugar Hill page here to take a listen

Aug. 3: "Jolene" by Mindy Smith will be the first single off the star-studded Oct. 14 release Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton, Sugar Hill Records has confirmed to Dollymania. It should be shipped to radio by the end of next month. A video will also be shot, although a release date for it has yet to be determined. Thanks, Rob! This was characterized as the "first" single, suggesting that additional cuts will be released in future months. Smith is a relative newcomer on the national scene although she has been known throughout Nashville for several years. A singer-songwriter from Smithtown, N.Y., she moved to Nashville in 1998, winning the Tin Pan South songwriting contest in 2000 and appearing as the opening act on VH1's Bands On The Run. She also performed in this year's South By Southwest Music Festival.

July 30: Sugar Hill Records on Tuesday issued the first glimpse at the cover art for the Oct. 14 tribute CD, Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton (shown at left), and announced that the label will be providing Internet previews of different cuts from the album each week. First up this week is Alison Krauss' spectacular, very laid-back, bluesy/bluegrass rendition of "9 To 5." Take a listen to the full song here. And look for more postings there in coming weeks of more artists' contributions to the project. Thanks, Rob!

July 26: Sugar Hill Records on Friday released a third new Dolly promotional photo, shown above, for the superstar-studded tribute album. The label also this week issued executive producer Steve Buckingham's cut-by-cut commentary on the project (see link above).

July 17: Yahoo on Wednesday posted a brief on the upcoming Dolly tribute CD, Just Because I'm A Woman: The Songs Of Dolly Parton. Read it here. And Billboard updated its story here on the disc Wednesday to correct its previous errors after being contacted by your webmaster. The Dollymania page on the collection is available here.

July 15: Stories about the Dolly tribute CD Just Because I'm A Woman are making the rounds. An Associated Press brief was posted to their wire around noon on Monday, immediately being posted to dozens of television news Web sites (read it on my favorite local station's site here), and the online version of Billboard posted a story on the album late Monday afternoon here (although it includes a few factual errors: that Dolly's recording debut was Dolly Parton Sings on RCA in 1963 -- that album's original title was Hits Made Famous By Country Queens and it was on Somerset Records; also, her actual recording debut was "Puppy Love" on Goldband Records in 1957).

July 12: The press package for Just Because I'm A Woman: Songs Of Dolly Parton is out from Sugar Hill Records, and here are a few surprises contained therein: