Robert Earl Keen/Steve Earle
Wednesday/Thursday,
Nov. 5/6, Orange Peel

Yes folks, Earlfest continues here in our hills. Last week brought us Stacey Earle (Steve’s younger sister); next week brings us the two-night twofer that has Earlheads all a-twitter. (Admit it: you’re twittering.) For those scoring at home: Robert Earl plays Wednesday, Steve Earle plays Thursday, and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe plays basketball. (Or did, anyway. Good spin move.) Considering that Robert Earl and Steve Earle played the Peel on consecutive nights just last February, I can understand if you’re getting a little confused. Therefore, as a public service, I’m presenting this handy Robert Earl/Steve Earle pop quiz. Got your pencils handy?

Soundcheck: Album Review
Various Artists
Just Because I’m a Woman: The Songs of Dolly Parton (Sugar Hill)

I’m hardly shy about my admiration for Dolly Parton — built not just from her music but her frankness, her humor, her devotion to her roots — but even as a fan, I see her as Dolly with a Capital D: smart, sassy, archly constructed, and waaaay over the top. That’s Dolly’s public image, after all, and it’s made her a hell of a lot of money. What’s missing from that picture is the necessary hard work and genuine talent; it’s as if she’s succeeded on a mix of dumb luck, big tits, and a sweet voice. (And Dolly does little to counter that image.) A tribute album, then, provides a chance to step back from the elaborate package that is Dolly Parton — movie star, theme park magnate, faux dumb blonde country girl — and consider her merits as a songwriter. (Was that snickering I heard in back? I hope not.)

Dolly says she’s written over 3,000 tunes, and I’ll take her word for it. A few may be clunkers, but many more are gems; a large handful deserve to be called classic. Many are deceptively simple — again, the dumb luck and feigned innocence — but they cut to the marrow, again and again, as right and true and real as anything in the country canon.

Just Because I’m A Woman proves as much. The performances are strong, and the songs shine. Norah Jones provides the first highlight, turning up the ache behind Parton’s wordplay on “The Grass is Blue;” Joan Osborne delivers a lilting, understated “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind;” Me’Shell Ndegeocello turns in an R&B version of “Two Doors Down;” Emmylou Harris takes top honors with “To Daddy” as sharp today as it was 30 years ago. Even the pop novelty “9 to 5” sounds good here, courtesy of Alison Krauss and Union Station. (Other performers include Shania Twain, Shelby Lynne, Kasey Chambers, Sinead O’Connor, Allison Moorer, Mindy Smith, and Melissa Etheridge — an all-star, all-female cast.)

And while I can find small things with which to quibble — Mindy Smith’s “Jolene,” for one — the most obvious drawback of the album is that it leaves you craving Dolly’s voice. Melissa Etheridge is fine and all, but why listen to anyone but Dolly sing “I Will Always Love You?” The folks at Sugar Hill must have felt the same way; Just Because I’m a Woman wraps with an updated version of the title track, sung by Dolly, sweet and high. (If you’re like me, you’ll move right from that track to a full-fledged Parton album; Little Sparrow is as fine a choice as any.)

I’ll hold off on sending Parton up for sainthood — there was that whole pop-crossover thing, after all, and some of those outfits are atrocious — but Just Because I’m a Woman reminds me why I love her so: she’s smart, she’s original, and she’s good. Very good.

3 stars out of 5.

Barbarito’s Visa Blues

Finally, a belated note to tell you that the Barbarito Torres Oct. 23, concert at the Orange Peel was postponed. Seems that Torres had problems completing the Visa process and couldn’t make it over from Havana in time for the show. Perhaps this shouldn’t have surprised us: UNC-Asheville had to cancel a show by the Cuban pianist Chucho Valdes for similar reasons last year, and travel restrictions to and from Cuba have only tightened since then. Yes, folks, the wheels of autocracy are always churning, and we can credit the ever-vigilant George W. for protecting us from the nefarious scourge of free-roaming lute players from the Cuban countryside. Alas, your hard-working minions at The Smoky Mountain News World Headquarters didn’t learn of the postponement until last week’s issue was on the streets; if you went, here’s hoping you enjoyed a full set from Waynesville’s Son de Cuba, who were vaulted into the headline slot when Torres couldn’t make it. The folks at the Orange Peel are hoping to reschedule Torres for early December, pending the resolution of Barbarito’s Visa blues. El Gordo Grande will keep you posted.

Three Good Things

1. “Im Gone,” Dolly Parton, Halos & Horns (2002)
2. “(No Such Thing As) Girls Like That,” Christine Kane, Rain & Mud & Wild & Green (2002)
3. “Valentine’s Day,” Steve Earle, I Feel Alright (1996)

They Said It

“Dolly Parton is a gifted artist cleverly disguised as a media superstar and a sex bomb. She does it all without breaking a sweat — or a nail. Long may she reign!”

— Joan Osborne