What Has Rock And Roll Ever Done For You

[soul_drifter333]

Dolly has already done that years ago. She released 3 stellar bluegrass albums in a row. One of the albums has a bluegrass version of Stairway to Heaven, which sounds like a nightmare, but is actually quite good. She also has the Trio albums with minimum production that are quite nice.

You're right though, the Rick Rubin produced Johnny Cash albums are his finest. And I purposely have not heard anything from RockStar yet because the thought of it sounds horrible. Not only do I feel she is too old to do a rock album, but I'm afraid most of the singers on it are not in the best shape vocally. Not to mention that most of the songs that she is covering are classic and I don't see how she could do them justice much less improve them. I'm sure I'll eventually get it, but I can't imagine listening to it more than a time or two. I think that Dolly realizes that she has nothing to prove at this point. I have to give her credit she has some big names on RockStar and she has been promoting it for months. There is even a limited showing of a promotional film in theaters to promote the album.

Originally Posted by WatchChain

The whole concept of the "Rockstar" album is cheese-whiz and gimmicky for an artist with a respected catalog like Dolly Parton.

In the twilight of her career, Dolly Parton could have chosen to make an artistic statement in the vein of what Rick Rubin did with Johnny Cash's "American Recordings" and his Grammy winning "Hurt". Jack White's mind-blowing work on Loretta Lynn's "Van Lear Rose" also comes to mind.

Instead, Dolly has opted for a generic album full of badly produced cover songs. I'm not sure why, she certainly doesn't need the money.