The fact that it’s taken the 77-year-old Dolly Parton until now to lay her claim on rock music is almost as remarkable as the fact that this is her 49th album. Rockstar is a waggish nod to the mild controversy that engulfed her last year, when the country music icon initially refused (and later accepted) the offer of an induction into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
As befits someone of Parton’s standing, Rockstar is embellished with big-name collaborators: Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Elton John and Debbie Harry all line up to happily send songs like Let It Be, Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me and Heart of Glass on their way with a flourish.
The more obvious choices are the least successful; We Are the Champions, Free Bird and Satisfaction are enjoyably camp and well-sung, but a little predictable. Instead, Parton’s duet with John Fogerty on Creedence’s Long As I Can See the Light is excellent, as is her take on Every Breath You Take with Sting, Wrecking Ball with her goddaughter Miley Cyrus and the glam, playful swagger of What Has Rock And Roll Ever Done for You with Stevie Nicks, while Purple Rain proves that she has the vocal firepower required of such a song.
Thirty tracks – only a smattering of middling originals in their midst – is far too many. As she proves with this album, however, charm counts for a hell of a lot when you’re Dolly Parton
