THE DROP
Bad Wolves have put out a new version of their "Jolene" cover with Dolly Parton's actual vocals on it, pulled from parts she recorded before her death *, †, ‡. Her longtime producer Kent Wells handled the integration, and the estate signed off *, ‡.
WHAT TO KNOW
- The band asked Parton to guest before she died, she agreed, but illness kept her from finishing her parts ‡.
- The original cover went up August 31st, six days after she died, and got hammered for it ‡.
- Guitarist AJ Rebollo quit over alleged label pressure to rush the release, then walked back his claims and left anyway *, ‡.
- Proceeds go to Parton's Imagination Library, same as the first version *, ‡.
- The video features students from Nashville's School Of Rock *, †, ‡.
- This mirrors their "Zombie" cover, where Dolores O'Riordan had also agreed before her death ‡.
THE TAKE
The optics on the August release were bad and the band deserved the heat, but getting Wells and the estate involved is the right correction, not a cash grab. Drummer John Boecklin called the charity work an honor *, and the detail that actually lands is this being the second time a Bad Wolves cover has outlived the singer who agreed to sing on it.