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JUST BECAUSE I’M A WOMAN: SONGS OF DOLLY PARTON
(Sugar Hill)
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This tribute to country songstress Dolly Parton has all of the players you’d expect from such a project: Alison Krauss, Shania Twain, Melissa Etheridge, Shelby Lynne, Allison Moorer, Joan Osbourne, and Emmylou Harris. But it’s the unconventional few who made the cut — like Norah Jones, Sinéad O’Connor, and Me’Shell Ndegéocello — who really showcase the versatility of her music. Jones’s jazzy-roots on "The Grass Is Blue" and O’Connor’s melding of traditional folk and angry punk on "Dagger Through the Heart" take curves not anticipated by the originals. Ndegéocello’s rendition of "Two Doors Down" — a song that was already a funky departure for Parton back in 1977 when she released it — goes even farther to underline her versatility as a songwriter. Giving newcomer Mindy Smith the coveted "Jolene" may seem odd, but this simple version draws well on the quirkiness of Smith’s voice and playing. The only real mistake here is Melissa Etheridge’s absurdly spooky rendition of the Whitney Houston mega-hit "I Will Always Love You" — a song sung from the perspective of a crazed ex-lover. As a bonus, we get Parton representing herself on the excellent title track. If there’d been more space — say, a three- or four-disc box set — it would have been great to hear how a few more artists outside of the country-folk genre might read Parton’s songbook. But the 13 tracks on this package at least do justice to a small cross-section of her vast suitcase.
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