Rockstar (Dolly Parton album)

2023 album by Dolly Parton

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.

Lead single "World on Fire" was released on May 11, 2023,^[2] with the singles "Magic Man" featuring Ann Wilson, "Bygones" featuring Rob Halford and Nikki Sixx and John 5, "We Are the Champions"/"We Will Rock You", Parton's version of "Let It Be" featuring surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and Parton's version of "What's Up?" featuring Linda Perry following over the next five months. Parton performed a duet of "Wrecking Ball" with Miley Cyrus on New Year's Eve 2022, and performed "World on Fire" at the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards in May 2023. The album received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, becoming Parton's highest-charting solo studio album as well as topping the Country and Rock Albums charts.

Recording and release

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 November 30.^[14] She revealed the album release on the January 17, 2023, episode of The View^[15] and previewed the track "World on Fire" on May 11.^[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 number 13 on Billboard's Rock Digital Song Sales on May 20, 2023.^[22] It went on to peak at number 1 a week later.^[23]

The second single "Magic Man" featuring Ann Wilson was released on June 15, 2023.^[24]

The third single, "Bygones", featuring Rob Halford with guests Nikki Sixx and John 5, was released the following day.^[4]

The fourth single, "We Are the Champions"/"We Will Rock You" was released on July 21, 2023.

Parton's version of "Let It Be", featuring surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, was released as the album's fifth single on August 18, 2023.^[6]

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's Top 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]

Critical reception

Rockstar received a score of 66 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on 17 critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.^[30] Slant Magazine's Dana Poland wrote that "to her credit, Parton still manages to make Rockstar sound and feel like a Dolly Parton album, thanks in large part to her distinctive twang. She and producer Kent Wells make some subtle changes to these songs [...] though more inventive arrangements would have distinguished these versions from the originals".^[36] Classic Rock described it as "a monumentally hideous, yet strangely glorious album",^[31] while Mojo felt that "even if there are moments when Rockstar seems under-amped, you have to admire her chutzpah".^[33]

PopMatters' Peter Piatkowski wrote that "despite the rockstar affectations, Rockstar is a country-pop album that hopscotches through various genres" including disco on "Heart of Glass" and although there are "wildly divergent styles represented on the record, Parton doesn't seem lost or adrift, even if her beautiful trill is shoved in front of buzzing electric guitars".^[35] Allison Hussey of Pitchfork called it "a dense and star-studded collection that sounds like the millennium's most expensive karaoke party" but felt that its "more tender moments can't outrun its subtextual baggage" and it ends with an "11-minute fart of a closing cliché".^[34] Helen Brown of The Independent found it "so long that it can feel like a bit of a slog" but "after all the glittering joy and fluttering hope Parton has given the world, it's hard to begrudge her a little Dollyoke fun".^[32]

Track listing

Notes

• ^[g] signifies a special guest artist
• The CD packaging contains 2 discs, one with tracks 1-15 and the other disc with tracks 16-30
• The Vinyl packaging contains 4 discs, one with tracks 1-8, one with 9-15, one with 16-23, one with 24-30

Personnel

Musicians

• Dolly Parton – vocals
• Kent Wells – acoustic guitar (tracks 1–3, 5, 6, 10, 13, 16, 19, 23, 24, 27, 28, 30), background vocals (2, 3, 6, 10–12, 15, 16, 22, 24), programming (2), electric guitar (3, 8, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 28), percussion (5, 16–18, 27, 28), clapping (15), additional vocals (22)
• Christine Winslow – background vocals (1, 3, 5–7, 11, 12, 14–17, 19, 22, 24–26, 30), additional vocals (1), clapping (15)
• Richard Dennison – additional vocals (1), background vocals (2, 10, 13, 18, 20, 21, 23, 27, 29)
• Gary Lunn – bass (1, 2, 6, 8–10, 13–17, 19–26, 29)
• Nir Z – drums (1, 2, 4, 9–14, 16, 17, 20–22, 24, 26), percussion (2, 16, 17, 29)
• Jerry McPherson – electric guitar (1, 2, 5, 6, 8–10, 12–27, 29)
• Rob McNelley – electric guitar (1, 2, 5, 8–10, 12–15, 18–23, 25, 27, 29)
• Dane Bryant – Hammond B3 (1, 2, 6, 9, 13, 17, 18, 24), synthesizer (2, 12, 14, 17, 22, 27), strings (2, 14, 20–22, 29), synth pads (5), piano (13, 20), keyboards (16, 26, 28), Moog bass (20); harpsichord, Mellotron, timpani (21); Wurlitzer organ (29)
• Mike Rojas – Wurlitzer organ (1, 17, 18, 24, 27), piano (2, 5, 6, 14, 18, 21, 22, 27), Mellotron (2), keyboards (3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 15, 19, 23, 25), Hammond B3 (12, 29), synthesizer (17); electronic percussion, French horn, percussion (18); accordion (23, 24)
• Richie Sambora – background vocals, electric guitar, vocal programming (1)
• Rachel Edge – background vocals (2, 6, 11, 12, 14, 26), additional vocals (22)
• Jennifer O'Brien – background vocals (2, 10, 13, 18, 20, 21, 23, 27, 29)
• Vicki Hampton – background vocals (2, 10, 13, 18, 20, 21, 23, 27, 29)
• Joel McKenney – background vocals (2), piano (3), additional vocals (22)
• Jimmy Mattingly – cello, viola, violin (2, 20–22, 29)
• Alex Wells – background vocals (2), additional vocals (22)
• Cody Howell – background vocals (2), additional vocals (22)
• Emily Blackbird – background vocals (2), additional vocals (22)
• Ethan Kuntz – background vocals (2), additional vocals (22)
• Hunter Garrett – background vocals (2), additional vocals (22)
• Kat Elfman – background vocals (2), additional vocals (22)
• Kevin Willis – background vocals (2), additional vocals (22)
• Olivia Steele – background vocals (2), additional vocals (22)
• Scott Bass – background vocals (2), additional vocals (22)
• Stephanie Howell – background vocals (2), additional vocals (22)
• Mark Needham – programming (2, 21)
• Jimmy Lee Sloas – bass (3, 4, 7, 12)
• Jerry Roe – drums (3, 7), percussion (3)
• Derek Wells – electric guitar (3, 7)
• Kim Keys – background vocals (4, 7, 8, 17, 19, 25, 30)
• Chris Rodriguez – background vocals (4, 8)
• Miles McPherson – drums (5, 6, 8, 15, 18, 19, 23, 27), percussion (23, 27)
• Steve Mackey – bass (5, 11, 18, 27)
• Howard Leese – acoustic guitar, electric guitar (5)
• Mark Douthit – saxophone (6), horn arrangement (9)
• Adam Shoenfeld – electric guitar (6)
• Shane Fogerty – electric guitar (6)
• Jim Hoke – horn arrangement (7, 8, 18, 28), saxophone (7, 18, 28), horns (8), whistle (23), trumpet (28)
• Mica Roberts – background vocals (7, 30)
• Emmanuel Echem – trumpet (7)
• Warren Haynes – electric guitar (8)
• Waddy Wachtel – electric guitar (9)
• Adam Lester – acoustic guitar (11)
• Peter Frampton – electric guitar (11, 29), acoustic guitar (11)
• Rob Arthur – keyboards (11)
• Beef – clapping (12)
• Joan Jett – clapping, electric guitar (12)
• Annie DiBlasi – clapping (12)
• Dougie Needles – clapping, electric guitar (12)
• Joe Vannelli – Hammond B3 (16)
• Jennifer Kummer – French horn (18)
• Patrick Walle – French horn (18)
• Roland Barber – trombone (18)
• Josh Scalf – trombone (18)
• John Hinchey – trombone (18)
• Melissa Etheridge – acoustic guitar, electric guitar (19)
• Lizzo – flute (20)
• Kyle Dickinson – programming (21)
• Nikki Sixx – bass (22)
• John 5 – electric guitar (22)
• Linda Perry – acoustic guitar (24)
• Doug Wilson – trumpet (25)
• Neil Giraldo – electric guitar (26)
• Ronnie McDowell – additional vocals (28)
• The Jordanaires – background vocals (28)
• Jack Gavin – drums (28)
• Jay Weaver – upright bass (28)
• Ringo Starr – drums (29)
• Paul McCartney – piano (29)
• Ronnie van Zant - lead vocals (30)^[39]
• Gary Rossington – electric guitar (30)^[39]
• Artimus Pyle – drums (30)^[39]
• Jerry Lyda – electric guitar (30)
• Scott Raines – electric guitar (30)
• Brad Durden – keyboards (30)

Technical

• Dolly Parton – production, executive production
• Kent Wells – production, engineering (all tracks); editing (2–8, 10–30)
• Chris Lord-Alge – mixing,
• Ted Jensen – mastering
• Mark Needham – additional production (1), engineering (1, 3, 4, 6–21, 23–26, 28–30), additional engineering (2)
• Don Miggs – additional production (29)
• Mick Fleetwood – additional production (29)
• Kyle Dickinson – engineering, editing
• Joel McKenney – engineering (all tracks), editing (29)
• Kevin Willis – engineering (1–5, 7–10, 15, 17–27, 29, 30)
• Russell Graham – engineering, editing (1)
• Drew Bollman – engineering (2)
• Karen Johnson – engineering (9)
• Jeremy Parker – engineering (22)
• Chris Latham – editing
• Brian Judd – additional engineering (1–26, 28–30)
• Adam Warnecke – additional engineering (25)
• Zach Wills – additional engineering (5)
• Christine Winslow – engineering assistance (1–21, 23–25, 28–30)
• Neal Shaw – engineering assistance (1)
• Ryan Yount – engineering assistance (2)
• Brendon Hapgood – engineering assistance (5)
• Randy Smith – engineering assistance (22)
• Vijat Mohindra – photography

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

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