Dolly Parton's new album 'Rockstar' features musicians such as Paul McCartney and Nikki Sixx
Country music superstar released a new album on Friday, marking the first time she took on a new genre: rock 'n' roll.
The 30-track album, " ," is a mix of originals, remakes, as well as collaborations with a slew of legendary musicians.
I can't tell you how proud I am of the 'Rockstar' album and I can't tell you how happy I am that it's finally here to be released! I really had a wonderful time working with all these iconic artists on the record and all these iconic musicians. Not to mention all these great iconic songs that I think everybody will love hearing again. I just hope you enjoy my version of them," Parton noted on X, which is the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.In the post, Parton said her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year inspired her to do the album.
At first, she said she didn't feel worthy of the induction, as she is a country artist and not a rock artist. But she later accepted the honor and decided to record the album.
"If I'm going to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I'm going to have to earn it," she previously said.
The album features popular musicians, including two well-known bass players: , as well as Paul McCartney.
Parton said she asked McCartney if he would sing on a cover of The Beatles' "Let It Be."
He said, "Yeah, I’d be happy to play on it, too, if you want me to,' and I thought, "Oh my god, I've died and gone to heaven,'" Parton said of McCartney, with Ringo Starr replacing the drums they'd recorded on the track.Parton also teamed up with , as well as Motley Crue's new guitarist, John 5, and Judas Priest singer Rob Halford on the song, "Bygones." She said the song, which is an original, is one her her "very favorites" on the album.
"The song fits with so many couples and coupling my voice with Rob, one of my all-time favorites, made it even more special," she previously noted on social media.
Elton John joined Parton for a cover of the hit, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me," while she and her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, recorded the song "Wrecking Ball."
Other artists who appear on the album include the following:
Plus, Parton said there are bonus tracks.
"Surprise! Did you all think I was done? I’m giving you not one but TWO more 'Rockstar' bonus tracks. Listen to 'Two Tickets to Paradise' and 'Jolene' (feat. now exclusively on my website," she wrote on X.
“Rockstar” also features nine original songs. Some have been unearthed — the lovelorn My Blue Tears,” for example, was written when Parton was with “The Porter Wagoner Show" in the late 1960s and early '70s, and the cheeky “I Dreamed About Elvis" was written more than two decades ago. It features the '50s vocal quartet Jordanaires, recorded right before they broke up in 2013, and Ronnie McDowell, who plays the Elvis character in the song.
"I had him come in and do the Elvis voice on it, just to kind of sum up that whole story about Elvis," she says. She's referring to the now-infamous event in which Elvis Presley said he wanted to record her hit, “I Will Always Love You.” She turned him down — because Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, wanted half of the song’s publishing rights.
For now, Parton says “Rockstar” is her first and last rock album. She's currently adapting her life story into a Broadway musical and wants to explore other genres.
“I'd like to do an R&B album,” she says. “And blues. I'd love to do a blues album. So, who knows? There's all kinds of things out there to do.”
