The best album by every artist in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's class of 2022

Our rundown of the most essential work from Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Pat Benatar, and more

By Stephen Thomas Erlewine  |  November 4, 2022 | 1:00pm
Music Features Linda Ronstadt
The best album by every artist in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's class of 2022
From left to right: Lionel Richie (Photo: Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images); Pat Benatar (Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images); Dolly Parton(Photo: Valerie Macon/Getty Images); Eurythmics (Photo by Fryderyk Gabowicz/Getty Images); Duran Duran (Photo: Michael Putland/Getty Images); Eminem (Photo: Kevin Winter/ImageDirect) Graphic: Karl Gustafson

Here’s the open secret about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: often, the inductees are honored for an incandescent moment of brilliance, not for full, rich careers. Sure, plenty of Rock Hall inductees had lengthy, interesting careers that continued to evolve after their inductions, but there are just as many acts who are celebrated for the fleeting moments where they seemed invincible, as 2022 inductee Pat Benatar once sang.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of 2022 is filled with several artists that fit into that category: they had a brief period of time where they were riding high, eventually returning to ground. Even the acts that maintained a cruising altitude inevitably had periods where they sped forward with greater velocity—those are the moments that make a career. Here, The A.V. Club chronicles such moments: the albums that capture the class of 2022 at their peak, that provide a reason why they’ve been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Dolly Parton
Traveling Man

Best Album: Coat Of Many Colors (1971)Coat Of Many Colors is where Dolly Parton announced herself as a formidable singer/songwriter in her own right. At the time of its release, Dolly still served as Porter Wagoner’s duet partner, both on record and on television—Wagoner even has a couple of songwriting credits on this LP—and had a few solo records to her credit, so she wasn’t an unknown. Nevertheless, Coat Of Many Colors put her gifts into perspective, with its autobiographical title track illustrating her gift for storytelling and “Traveling Man” crackling with the sensuality so crucial to her appeal.Honorable mention: Trio (1987)A highlight in Dolly Parton’s vast discography, this 1987 collaborative album with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt returned Dolly to her country roots and showcased her gifts for high, lonesome group harmony.

 
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