One of four covers to Rockstar: the others feature Parton in similar outfits mounting a motorcycle, holding an electric guitar, or posing with a leather eye patch in the shape of a star. Deluxe edition adds her wearing sunglasses and a black logo
Rockstar is the forty-ninth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton.[9][10] It was released on November 17, 2023, by Butterfly Records and Big Machine Records.[11][12] The album is a collaborative project with a variety of rock musicians, marking Parton's first album-length foray into the genre.
Parton was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 and initially declined the honor as she has a background in country music and not rock.[13] In response, she declared her intention to record an album of rock covers with a host of musical guests from that genre to justify her inclusion. Parton performed "Rockin'", an original song, at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
She reached out to a variety of dream collaborators over the course of several months, including several of the artists she performed with at the Hall of Fame ceremony such as fellow 2022 inductees Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo, Simon Le Bon and Rob Halford, and other guests Pink, Brandi Carlile and Sheryl Crow. Parton officially announced the recording on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on November30.[14] She revealed the album release on the January17, 2023, episode of The View[15] and previewed the track "World on Fire" on May11.[2]
British singer and guitarist Peter Frampton was recruited into recording after a mutual friend performed backing vocals with American singer Steven Tyler on the album. He immediately called his manager and the next day, spoke with producer Kent Wells to perform a guitar solo and also vocals on a second track.[16] Parton pursued Mick Jagger to provide vocals on her Rolling Stones cover, but he had a scheduling conflict[17] and failed to reunite Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant for her new cover of "Stairway to Heaven", a favorite of her husband Carl Dean.[18] Her favorite collaborator was fellow country musician Chris Stapleton,[19] who stepped in when Bob Seger was unable to join Parton on "Night Moves" due to experiencing problems with his voice.[20] Prior to the reveal of the official track listing, Parton had performed "Wrecking Ball" with her goddaughter Miley Cyrus at her New Year's Eve show. Parton performed the album's lead single "World on Fire" for the first time at the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards on May 11, 2023.[21]
Singles
Lead single "World on Fire" was released on May 11, 2023.[2] After 55 years as a recording artist, Parton had her first release hit a rock-themed chart, with "World on Fire" debuting at number13 on Billboard's Rock Digital Song Sales on May 20, 2023.[22] It went on to peak at number1 a week later.[23]
The sixth single, Parton's version of "What's Up?" featuring Linda Perry, was released on September 22, 2023.[25]
The seventh single, Parton's version of "Wrecking Ball" featuring Miley Cyrus, was released on October 20, 2023.[26]
Commercial performance
The album earned 128,000 album-equivalent units, with 118,500 in album sales, in its debut week, making it Parton's most successful debut ever.[27][28] It was also her first album to top Billboard'sTop Album Sales chart in the chart's 32 year existence.[27] It ranked No. 3 on the Billboard 200 list, the highest for any Dolly Parton album, and also was No. 1 on both the Country and Rock & Alternative lists.[29][28]
Rockstar received generally favorable reviews, holding a Metacritic score of 65/100, based on 18 reviews.[30] The album was praised for its ambitious scope and Dolly Parton's ambitious tribute to rock and roll but were divided on its execution, particularly regarding the balance between original material and covers of classic rock songs.[37]
Several critics responded positively to Rockstar's grand concept. American Songwriter and Classic Rock both awarded the album a perfect score, with the latter calling it "monumentally hideous, yet strangely glorious," [38] emphasizing its extravagant nature and how its a "show for all ages."[39]Rolling Stone praised Parton's "warmth and infectious enthusiasm," noting her collaborations with major rock icons added a celebratory feel to the record. However, Dolan also pointed out that while her new material was solid, it often failed to stand out among the well-known rock classics featured on the album.[40]
Other critics were more divided in their assessments. The Independent and AllMusic gave the album moderately positive ratings, acknowledging Parton's efforts to explore rock while suggesting that some tracks felt redundant or unnecessary.[41][42]The Guardian was more critical, arguing that Rockstar missed an opportunity to reinterpret classic songs in a unique way, instead choosing to remain faithful to the originals without adding much innovation.[37] The review noted that while Parton's voice remained strong, the album often felt more like an elaborate homage than a reinvention of the genre.[37]
Pitchfork, in one of the more negative reviews, rated the album 5.2/10, describing it as a "dense and star-studded collection that sounds like the millennium's most expensive karaoke party."[43] The review criticized some of the covers for being too polished and overly reliant on their original arrangements rather than offering fresh takes.
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