respect the classics

Dolly Parton Is a Judas Priestess

Photo: Vijat Mohindra

If Dolly Parton calls and asks you to be on her new rock-and-roll album, you say “yes.†Enthusiastically so. And then maybe you go out and buy some hair spray as a sign of respect. A new duo of songs from Parton’s promise-kept album, Rockstar, are here, and they make you realize why every single musician took that call: “Magic Man (Carl Version)†sounds like a gossip session about lust with Heart’s Ann Wilson, while “Bygones†with Judas Priest’s Rob Halford is an original headbanger of a track that wouldn’t be out of place on British Steel. (The unlikely pair previously performed a joyous “Jolene†at last year’s Rock Hall of Fame induction.) “My husband is a big hard rock-and-roll fan, and for years I thought, One of these days I’d like to do an album mainly just for him, just to kind of do it,†Parton said about the album. In addition to Wilson and Halford, Rockstar’s track list is a verified who’s who of legends, which includes, for starters, a “Let It Be†reunion with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, “Every Breath You Take†with Sting, and “Heart of Glass†with Debbie Harry. It’ll be released on November 17, summoned like acrylics on strings.

Dolly Parton Is a Judas Priestess