The latest releases reviewed.

There's not much to be said about Dolly Parton that hasn't be said already, and many times at that. After a series of albums exploring her traditional and bluegrass influences, Backwoods Barbiereturns her to the country pop that fast-forwarded Parton to stardom. The sound may be updated, but the 62-year-old Nashville queen still knows how to reach the heart of her audience. It's a shameless concoction of sex, sinning, loving, God and self-help, and few could carry it off with her aplomb. The first track sets the no-nonsense tone. Better Get to Livin'exhorts the song's subject to quit moaning and get on with life. If that whip is cracked loudly then it is nothing to Shinola, a raw-edged kick at some hapless male. These songs and, indeed, many of the love songs suggest more perspiration than inspiration. Still, the title track, with its hard-won honesty, deserves to become a Dolly classic. The music certainly has real bounce but doubts remain about deep it goes. www.dolly partonmusic.net

JOE BREEN

Download tracks: Backwoods Barbie Lonesomes

The Antrim/Nashville axis of roots music hasn't been exploited much before, but Ben Glover mines its deepest seams with the subtlest of northern vowels and a sharp line in lyricism that sets him apart. Having successfully wooed Calexico producer JD Foster to the mixing desk, Glover weaves neat tales of desire, rejection and seduction in between the kind of spacious arrangements more usually encountered on Jim Lauderdale and Buddy Miller records. But then again, both Lauderdale and Miller loiter in the shadows here, alongside Vince Gill and a slew of other A-list Nashville musicians.

Glover's charisma is palpable from the opening chords of No Direction Home, and hollers for the benefit of a tour to showcase his songbook in all three dimensions. www.ben glover.co.uk

SIOBHÁN LONG

Download tracks: Melodies of Midnight, Trousdale Drive