And it is her voice that makes the big gambles of Halos and Horns - particularly a cover of Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven - pay off. With her aching cry and plaintive phrasing, Parton emphasizes the song's quiet bluesiness over its rock and roll grandiosity, reviving the reflective power of this most familiar (and covered) of rock songs. Its conclusion - where Parton is backed be an ethereal sounding gospel choir - could easily be mawkish or camp, but she gamely matches their bombast with her country squall. Like her cover of Knockin' on Heaven's Door with South African a cappella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Parton's risks here bring great, unexpected pleasures.
New York magazine July 15, 2002
