Listen to covers by Prince, Rolling Stones and Skynyrd

In Rock starthat finally falls today, Dolly Parton She challenged herself to step out of her comfort zone and focused on singing rock & roll for the first time in her career. She wrote a few songs for the album, but the vast majority of the tracks are covers, including some surprising selections.

His interpretation of The prince and the revolution “Purple Rain” leans deeply into the song’s gospel feel, giving Parton room to vocalize all the melisma she can handle while Prince played guitar. She begins with church organ and a little Hendrixy guitar riff, before she sings the iconic opening line, “I never meant to cause you any sadness / I never meant to cause you any pain” in her distinctive Tennessee accent. When Parton sings, “I just want to see you bathing in the purple rain,” she sounds like she really wants to summon some kind of grape Kool-Aid shower. A gospel choir backs it for about two and a half minutes and they bring it all home in eight minutes, about a minute shorter than Prince’s original.

On its cover the rolling stones“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” completely subverts Keith Richards’ iconic riff into something even simpler that sounds a bit like tuning into “Start Me Up,” but then the guitarist’s fingers slip and it falls apart. . . However, the rhythm section has a good groove and Parton, Pink and Brandi Carlile take turns updating Mick Jagger’s lyrics here and there. In the second verse, Pink skips the cigarette line in favor of “When I’m watching TV and a man comes up and tells me how white my shirts can be/But he ain’t got no right to preach to me about who I am.” I am and I’m supposed to be” And Parton sings about having a “man in action” instead of a girl and then she sings about “trying to make a boy.” (Note: Parton has been married since 1966.)

Parton recorded for the first time Led Zeppelin‘Stairway to heaven’ for her Halos and horns album in 2002, but for Rock star sweetened it with an appearance by Lizzo and her flute player, Sasha Flute, who adds some extra flutes to the song. Parton gets so into it that she even adds a couple of impromptu rounds of “Stairway to Heaven, Stairway to Heaven” in the middle.

He closes the exit in true rock & roll style with a lighter in the air, singing Lynyrd Skynyrd“Free Bird” for 10 minutes and 45 seconds, which is about a minute and a half longer than Skynyrd’s original and even longer than the 10-minute outtake the band released Innyrds by Skynyrd. The recording features the vocals of late Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant along with a guitar solo by Skynyrd. Gary Rossington (who died in March) and Artimus Pyle Band, which features former Skynyrd style Pyle man. Parton delivers, adding a few “spread my wings and touch the sky” and “fly high” riffs here and there. For once, you can shout “Free Bird!”