Ella Langley‘s performance of “Jolene” at the Oct. 21 Dolly Parton tribute drew a pointed complaint: her delivery needed the desperation behind the lyrics.
“like ok you’re singing the lyrics and (barely) hitting the notes but that’s kinda all there is to it. give it some yearning, put some drama into it, make ONE facial expression,” X user @mercurywilde wrote.
Langley sang the 1973 classic at Belmont’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts during “CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton.” A full band and backing singers accompanied her before a sold-out crowd.
Another commenter, @ThePopMitchell, argued that Miley Cyrus should’ve performed the song. Cyrus, Parton’s goddaughter, has sung “Jolene” with her before. Other criticism focused on the emotion in Langley’s interpretation rather than the choice of performer.
The performance came less than a month after Langley, 27, spoke about how public scrutiny was affecting her. At a Sept. 25 concert in Columbus, Ohio, the “Choosin’ Texas” singer described questioning whether she could handle the attention accompanying her success.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had more opinions on myself in my life than I have in this last year,” Langley told the crowd. “The way I look, the way I speak, the way I dress, the way I move, the way I sing, the way I write.”
She added: “I signed up to sing music and I love to do what I do, but if this is what it’s going to be the whole entire time, I mean … I don’t know if I’m strong enough for this.”