If you think that after writing 42 records, starring in 12 movies, and hosting, appearing, and producing 17 television shows Dolly Parton might be slowing down, well, think again. This Friday, August 19, the country icon will release her 43rd solo album Pure & Simple. The record is her first since 2012's Blue Smoke, containing 12 new tracks, as well as a second CD of greatest hits. "It's a double album—a double-D album," she joked when we sat down to talk with her in her Nashville offices earlier this summer.

Leading up to the album's release, Parton also launched the Pure & Simple Tour, a 60+ date cross-country jaunt that marks her largest string of North American concerts in years. Leading up to the tour's kickoff and the release of Pure & Simple, we chatted down with Dolly about creating, finding new fans, and what she could possibly still want to accomplish after four decades of success.

You're putting out a new record and launching the biggest tour you've done in years. Why now?
It just seems to be a really good time for me. I'm 70 years old and people keep saying, "You're still at it?" I'm like, "Not only am I still at it, I'm as excited about it as I've ever been!" I have more fans now than I've ever had, and a lot of them are new fans, which makes me feel really good. You never how you're going to be thought of when you start out in this business, or when you've lived a long time in it, but I had a lot of great success with the movie [2015's Coat of Many Colors]. There's a group of fans I've gathered from that now, as well as people that know me from the early days of my music, then all the movies—Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and all those. But the little Coat of Many Colors movie really kind of stirred up a whole lot of excitement. We were on tour through Europe last year and [the shows] did really well. I got back over to the States and people were saying, "Why don't you come here? Why don't you sing in America?" I didn't think anybody wanted to see me. I haven't had hits on the radio, and I thought tours were mostly based on your hit songs. It's been a long time since I had a hit song.

What changed your mind?
A lot of promoters were calling saying, "Why don't you go on the road? I think we can sell tickets. Fans are calling." I thought "Well, if you really want me I'm a-goin'!"

What's the story behind the album title?
I played some charity shows at the old Ryman Auditorium [in Nashville, Tennessee] last year. I didn't have time to work up a whole new set, so I got Richard Dennison, Tom Rutledge, Kent Wells and we put together a little show. It was just a stripped-down version of what we were doing, and we got some of the best reviews we've ever had. We called it "Pure & Simple," so I thought if I'm gonna go do that again, then I need a song called "Pure & Simple." I wrote that song and it was a love song, and then I wrote another love song and I thought I could do a whole album of love songs. That's what this whole album is about. I've been married 50 years this year, so it just seemed proper to write songs about love. The whole record really just fell into place, like so many things are right now. It just seemed to make good sense.

It's a double disk, too; there's an album of originals and an album of hits.
Yes. I wrote arranged and produce the whole record along with the boys, Richard, Tom, and Kent. We all just kind of threw our two cents worth in and did what we were doing—especially Tom and Richard. They were there everyday at my production company helping me out with all of it. When I started writing I just kept putting down songs until we had 16 good ones, and then I picked 12. Then there's Dolly's Greatest Hits, which is all the songs we're doing onstage—all the classics. It's "Jolene," "I Will Always Love You," "Coat of Many Colors"—all the songs that people do want, and then we'll have the new ones, so it'll be a bargain.

After so many years of success, is there anything you still really want to accomplish? Is there anything still on your bucket list?
I've always wanted to have a good line of cosmetics and wigs. I've dabbled in both a little bit, but I've never really had that to where I wanted it to be. At some point, when I've got the time or I'm willing to devote it to it I'd like to have my life onstage as a musical. It's very time consuming, though. I feel like right now I'm riding a wave and [sings] I'm gonna ride that wave till I wash ashore. Then, if I've got some time on my hands, maybe I'll work on the musical. But right now I just want to continue to do more movies. I may want to do a series. I'm gonna produce some television. I might even do my life story as a series... Is that called a bucket list?

That's a good bucket list.
Well, then that's a big bucket it, ain't it? [Sings] I'd better throw the bucket down and get on with it!