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.