Is there anything that Dolly Parton cannot do? Singer, songwriter, actor, author, philanthropist and, in her most generous stab at superwoman status, Covid vaccine-funder, she was also recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was an honour she initially declined, but went on to accept in a respectably metal fashion by donning a black PVC catsuit and duetting with Judas Priest’s Rob Halford in what will surely become known as the definitive version of Jolene.
The country music icon’s latest trick is to go the full yule. Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol sees her staging a full jingle bells-and-whistles show at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, relocating Charles Dickens’ classic tale of redemption and oversized turkey to the East Tennessee mountains where she was raised. Set in the midst of the Great Depression – a decade before Parton’s birth – the family-friendly festive extravaganza features a host of seasonal songs written by Parton. Her original string band score pays homage to the pre-bluegrass sound of 1930s Appalachia, weaving together gospel and traditional country with the singer’s own easy way with a catchy chorus.
