NEWS
Dolly Parton tends to release records for a reason. Unlike her Seventies contemporary Willie Nelson, who, at a dozen years her senior, records albums for no other purpose than to suit his own whims, Parton’s release schedule over the past half-dozen years has largely served as an extension of her unceasing global brand: 2016’s Pure & Simple, her last album of adult originals not directly tied to a larger piece of Dolly multimedia, launched a worldwide tour and kickstarted the ongoing Parton revival. In the years since, there have been a series of kids records (2017’s I Believe in You), soundtrack albums (Dumplin’), and holiday collections (2020’s A Holly Dolly Christmas).
The latest Parton project is Run, Rose, Run, a bluegrass-tinged set of originals that serves, naturally, as a companion to the forthcoming mystery novel Parton co-authored with best-seller James Patterson. As a bonus add-on to the book, Run, Rose, Run works far better than anyone could hope for: the songs themselves, all written by Parton, are sturdy studies in traditional country, with several unexpected stunners. But Run, Rose, Run, which feels mired by its tossed-off production, falls short of thriving on its own terms as a studio album.
First, the highlights: This album shows off Parton’s dexterity — as vocalist and writer — in a wide range of country and roots styles, from the traditional Eighties-style duet “Demons” with Ben Haggard (Merle’s son), to the chilling Appalachian balladry of “Blue Bonnet Breeze,” to the fast-paced Stanley Brothers-indebted mountain music of “Dark Knight, Bright Future.” It’s a thrill to hear Parton, at 76, so firmly in command of her own artistry.
The main fault of Parton’s latest, then, apart from the sense that the album needs a companion novel to make sense of its own narrative, is its lackluster production. The record’s high Nashville gloss feels dated and applied indiscriminately, tending to flatten out the breakneck bluegrass originals (“Run”) while depriving the record’s most introspective moments of their drama. Parton sings about the devastating effects of holding secrets too long on “Secrets,” but the song’s arrangement (cheesy background vocals, sleek electric guitar, and tinkling keys) feel like their own protective layering preventing Parton’s song from expressing itself.
Run, Rose, Run is an impressive display of Parton’s songwriting and vocal mastery that nevertheless leaves one hoping she one day releases the classic late-era record she’s so clearly primed to make, should she choose.
Smashing Pumpkins are hoping to bring their A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness production to the Las Vegas Sphere for a one of a kind performance centered around the legendary 1995 album.
Billy Corgan is stepping away from traditional rock venues and leaning into the world of opera with his large scale A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness tour, which transforms the band’s iconic record into a full orchestral and operatic experience.
Even though the group has not officially been invited to perform at the cutting edge venue in Las Vegas, Corgan admitted he would immediately embrace the opportunity.
Speaking with KROQ, he explained: “It’s a no-doubter for us. We just haven’t been asked yet.
“See, if the Sphere came to us and said, ‘We’d love you to do all of Mellon Collie with that production.’ Now, that makes sense to me to do something like that, to build the show around the album.
"Then you have a chance to recast the songs and the music in a different dynamic.”
The performance sees Corgan joined by acclaimed solo vocalists and complete orchestras, reshaping some of Smashing Pumpkins’ most beloved songs into expansive classical arrangements.
The project first premiered in Chicago and received overwhelming praise, with audiences and reviewers applauding the powerful reinterpretations of songs such as 1979 and Tonight, Tonight.
Corgan shared that the experience has become one of the most meaningful achievements of his artistic journey.
He said: “The success of translating Mellon Collie into operatic and classical form has been one of the most satisfying experiences of my life. Where on each of the 7 sold out nights in Chicago, we’d finish within the raucous wave of a standing ovation. So to now take it on the road, and to Europe, too says this magical dream doesn’t have to end.”
The production was developed by Corgan alongside Grammy nominated conductor James Lowe, who added: "It has been so gratifying to discover how the nuances and layers of Mellon Collie reveal themselves in fresh new ways in these symphonic, choral and operatic settings. To now have the opportunity to perform this work in Europe with world class musicians in such important venues is nothing short of thrilling."
The lineup features vocalists Ed Parks, Sydney Mancasola, Zoie Reams, Dominick Valdes Chenes and Dean Murphy. The wardrobe for the production was created by House of Gilles designers Gilles Mendel and Chloé Mendel Corgan.
The upcoming run will include several September performances throughout the UK, Belgium, France and Spain, highlighted by two special evenings at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
