Halos & Horns

Halos & Horns Description

Halos & Horns

• Music

Like many musicians moved by the events of September 11, 2001, Dolly Parton reacted to the tragedy by going inward and forging a spiritual journey through songwriting. As usual, the subjects from which she draws the greatest strength are the ones that have buoyed her throughout her career--religion, in the searching "Hello, God", and the mythology of the mountains, best exemplified in "These Old Bones". Yet the songs on Halos & Horns carry a subtext, too, that of the perpetual struggle between right and wrong, temptation and redemption, and heaven and hell. Longtime Parton fans will recognise that thematic tug from her earliest work, just as they will hear a return to her more primitive, pre-1980s sound. While the singer, who produced the record herself using both Nashville and East Tennessee musicians, reprises several tunes ("Shattered Image", "What a Heartache") from her catalogue to give them an acoustic, bluegrass treatment, she is not without her surprises. Chief among them: "Raven Dove", a powerful, almost biblical prophesy of a Second Coming, and a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven", which Parton slightly rewrote to give it more personal and apocalyptic verve. If the thought of that brings a smile to your face, just wait: one spin through it and you'll be down on your knees. --Alanna Nash