Dolly Parton’s New Album Seems Insane(ly Gay)
Dolly Parton's first rock album doesn't come out for six months, but we can't wait to hear the collaborations with Lizzo, Miley Cyrus, and Elton John.
While it doesn’t come out for half a year, Dolly Parton recently revealed many details about her forthcoming album Rockstar, and just taking a look at the tracklist, its length, and the special guests she’s roped into the project, it’s looking like a collection that can’t be missed.
The set will feature 30 songs, with what appears to be a mix of new tracks and many, many covers. Some might balk at the idea of too many remakings, but when it’s Parton doing them – and she’s not alone in them, mind you – that changes everything.
Here are just a handful of the highlights set to be heard on Rockstar:
- The two remaining Beatles – Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr – reuniting! And for “Let It Be,” no less
- Parton’s goddaughter Miley Cyrus reworking “Wrecking Ball”
- Pink and Brandi Carlile on the same track – with Parton singing the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
- Blondie’s Debbie Harry teaming up for “Heart of Glass” – oh, Heart’s Ann Wilson and Howard Leese are also on the album (though a different song)
- An Elton John duet on “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”
- Lizzo doing Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” – and Sasha Flute is credited as a featured artist!
As if that wasn’t enough to excite you, Rockstar also features guest appearances from fellow stars like Sting, John Fogerty, Stevie Nicks, Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow, Simon Le Bon, Pat Benatar, and many, many more.
Sadly, there are one or two inclusions that fans of Parton’s in the LGBTQ community are sure to be less-than-thrilled about, but every album has its skips, right? Transphobe and all-around idiot Kid Rock is featured on the track “Either Or” early on in the project.
The title Rockstar makes perfect sense, as the album will mark Parton’s first proper rock set. After being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, the iconic singer-songwriter opted for this innovative and somewhat unexpected direction, revealing her plan to produce a rock album. She asserted at the time, “If I’m gonna be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I’m gonna have to earn it.”
Parton even debuted a new song from Rockstar, “World on Fire,” as she co-hosted the 2023 ACM (Academy of Country Music Awards) to a thrilled crowd. It is her audience, after all.
Scheduled for release on November 17, 2023, Rockstar will be Dolly Parton’s fifty-third solo studio album. It’s incredible that after so many years in the business, she’s not slowing down. She released not only an album, but an accompanying novel titled Run, Rose, Run last year. That is also being turned into a film, which will reportedly be produced by and star the Grammy winner herself.
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