Treasures

A thumbnail description of Treasures makes it sound like a most unpromising comeback vehicle. It contains no compositions by Parton herself, one of the finest country songwriters of her generation. It does feature such gimmicky propositions as Parton singing Cat Stevens' anti-war anthem, "Peace Train," with a South African choral group, and Neil Young's science-fiction fantasy, "After the Goldrush," with Alison Krauss and Suzanne Cox of the Cox Family. When you actually listen, however, it turns out to be Parton's most consistent and most satisfying studio album since 1983's "Burlap & Satin" (her best overall album of the '80s and '90s is the 2 CD live set, Heartsongs). --Geoffrey Himes