When Kesha's third album, "Rainbow," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts earlier this month, it was the culmination of a hard-fought musical comeback. In the past few years, lawsuits against her one-time producer, Dr. Luke, slowed the singer's output. Unsurprisingly, "Rainbow" is Kesha's bold declaration of creative freedom, as well as a gesture of musical reclamation. Although initially (and unfairly) pigeonholed as a pop party girl, this collection gives her space to stretch out and explore rock, folk, punk and country.

On the country front, one "Rainbow" highlight is "Old Flames (Can't Hold a Candle to You)." Co-written by Pebe Sebert (a.k.a. Kesha's mom), the song was a No. 1 country hit for Dolly Parton in 1980 . In fact, the legend recently told Rolling Stone Country that "Old Flames" is "one of my favorite songs that I ever did." In a nod to sentimentality, Kesha recruited Parton for the “Rainbow” version. The result is a dynamite, hell-on-wheels duet.

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That Parton sounds so comfortable in the pop realm isn’t a surprise. Forty years ago, she had her first major chart crossover hit with the Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil composition "Here You Come Again,” while 1978 found her belting out the disco-inspired hit "Baby I'm Burning." Two No. 1 mainstream singles chart hits followed: 1980's feminist anthem "9 to 5," from the movie of the same name, and 1983's "Islands in the Stream," a beloved soft rock duet with Kenny Rogers.

Although Parton didn't maintain sustained pop saturation — at least where the charts are concerned — these hits did imbue her with a singular, rhinestone-hued glow that endures. In fall 2016, she collaborated with a cappella sensation Pentatonix for a new version of "Jolene," and she's listed as a guest on "Rainbowland," a song from Miley Cyrus' forthcoming album, "Younger Now." Parton has also performed on "The Voice" and received the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2016 CMA Awards. For good measure, the 2016 holiday special “Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love,” which is based on Parton's life, recently received an Emmy nomination.

In a year where male artists have had a disproportionate influence on the pop charts and sexism on country radio is being called out, Parton's continued influence feels like a gift — a reminder that fiery underdogs always find a way to make their presence felt. But the dude-heavy charts also obscure Parton's influence on modern female music superstars. The most obvious surface analog is Taylor Swift: Both women earned country fame for writing their own hits, and then made an effortless transition into mainstream pop music.

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Like Parton, pop-country crossover artist Carrie Underwood kickstarted her career on TV, by taking first place on the fourth season of “American Idol.” (Unsurprisingly, Underwood is a Parton acolyte who has frequently been involved in tributes to the self-proclaimed Backwoods Barbie.) Proud Texan Kacey Musgraves has also mastered the art of navigating slippery music boundaries; she’s equally comfortable opening for megastar Katy Perry, as she did in 2014, or honoring another country trailblazer, Loretta Lynn, at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

On a deeper level, Parton has paved the way for women operating in pop, country or the genre spaces in between, empowering them to take control of their own careers. After all, like Kesha, Parton certainly knows a little bit about using the power of the pen to declare independence. In 2016, she talked to the Tennessean about writing "I Will Always Love You,” a song covered by Whitney Houston and Beyoncé. Parton had decided to leave "The Porter Wagoner Show" — which set her fledgling country career into overdrive — and move forward on her own terms. "'How am I gonna make [Wagoner] understand how much I appreciate everything, but that I have to go?'" Parton recalled she thought to herself. "So I went home, and I thought, 'Well, what do you do best? You write songs.' So I sat down and I wrote this song."

That mix of boldness and vulnerability distinguishes Parton’s songwriting, which is marked by spare language that cuts right to the emotional and spiritual quick. But Parton is also uncommonly generous with her talent, especially in the way she’s lifted other women up alongside her. In 1987, she released “Trio” in conjunction with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, while 1993 saw the release of “Honky Tonk Angels,” a collaboration with Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. Even when not creating with them, Parton is equally effusive about the talents of other women. In interviews, Parton has praised two women who know a few things about reinvention: Lady Gaga and Madonna.

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This generosity comes from a place of genuine sincerity. But it’s also indicative of Parton’s innate self-confidence — a fake-it-’til-you-make-it attitude that’s served her well over the years. Among other things, it’s imbued her with the ability to be an ally to marginalized groups. She’s been a supporter of the LGBTQ community for years. “I've struggled enough in my life to be appreciated and understood,” she told Billboard. “I've had to go against all kinds of people through the years just to be myself. I think everybody should be allowed to be who they are, and to love who they love. I don't think we should be judgmental.”

Parton was also ahead of the curve in being a vocal supporter of transgender rights: She was nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar for "Travelin' Thru,” a tune that appeared in the 2005 movie “Transamerica,” in which actress Felicity Huffman plays a transgender woman. And Parton’s charity work related to her native Tennessee is legendary: Not only did she raise and donate millions of dollars after the Gatlinburg wildfire, but her Imagination Library, an initiative that gives a free book to kids every month, has given a staggering 100 million books away over the years.

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That deep empathy for others extends to the way she’s responded to journalists asking her about Cyrus, a polarizing figure who happens to be Parton’s goddaughter. "I think people just think of Miley as their little daughter or granddaughter, so they take it personally," she told Macleans in 2014, when asked why Cyrus' "brand" of sexuality scares people. "I tell you, I understood why she had to go to such extremes to really make her point. She’s so talented. She’s so smart."

Speaking to The Telegraph in 2014, Parton elaborated on her thinking when asked about Cyrus' "provocative stage antics": "[Miley] had to make her statement because people wouldn’t let her grow up. Just like people wouldn’t let Shirley Temple grow up. But I promise you that she’ll surprise the world with her talent through the years."

Parton intuitively understands that Cyrus is embracing the kind of freedom she herself once pursued, when she hightailed it to Nashville after high school. "Leaving home alone, as a woman with professional aspirations and no financial means, demonstrated that she wanted a better life and thought she deserved it, though no model existed for the journey ahead beyond her own imagination," the critic Sarah Smarsh wrote in a No Depression piece about Parton. Seizing destiny — and, barring that, manifesting your own vision of a successful life — is the Parton way.

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On Sept. 29, Parton is pushing herself forward once again by releasing her whopping 44th studio record, a children's album called "I Believe in You.” "These kids, I hope they'll be fans, because a lot of them, their parents liked me, and they became their grandparents and introduced me to them," Parton told Rolling Stone Country. "I think kids can kind of relate to me, like a Mother Goose character."

Parton’s self-assessment is amusing but completely correct: She’s shepherded countless humans, partly by being such a Mother Goose-like public figure — she commands attention and has a prominent platform from which to act as a guide — and partly by exuding a protective, motherly instinct. People are drawn to Parton because she radiates acceptance and love, and (literally) welcomes everyone into her world. In an increasingly divided nation, she’s the glittering beacon of inclusive hope, tolerance and respect we all need — and need to treasure.