Tuesday, June 6th, 2006
So, first off, kudos to Scott with the new website. Looks pretty sweet I think. Scott is really making this into his baby now and I think it’s showing with the design. Anyways, things are hectic around in my life. I’m knee deep in board studying, but have no worries, as I’ve still managed to give you guys a brand new album. I feel like I’ll take some ridicule for this album, but hey, what can I say . . . I really like the Dixie Chicks.

Yeah, that’s right, I said it. I like the Dixie Chicks. They’re new album is entitled Taking the Long Way. So, on first listen, this album wasn’t what I expected or what I was looking for. It is mostly comprised of ballads so it feels a little slow. It does have one pretty upbeat song, Lubbock or Leave It. Oh those clever ladies and using pseudo-word play. So Lubbock or Leave It is their token song to show everybody they still got a little bit of the picking talent, although it can feel more like a rock song sometimes. But it’s a fun song so I’ll take it.

Anyways, back to the rest of the album. Once I got past the initial disappointment of not hearing Emily Robson play some magical fiddling and Martie Maguire picking the banjo, I realized this was a very different album than the DC have released previously. With their very public “snafu” of criticizing President Bush (how unpatriotic!), these country ladies are a bit jaded. And it shows up in their first single, Not Ready To Make Nice. With a bit of a F*%& you, they sing in the refrain, “I’m not ready to make nice. I’m not ready to back down. I’m still mad as hell and I don’t have time to go round and round and round.” Lick that bitter lollipop. (not that I don’t agree with them.)

And “Not Ready to Make Nice” really sets the tone for this album. It’s augmented throughout the album, but my favorite one is on the first track, “The Long Way Around”, where they make allusions to the fact that they’ve grown past being quaint little southern girls. They say, “Drank with the Irish and smoked with the hippies. Moved with the shakers. Wouldn’t kiss all the asses that they told me to.” These ladies are evidently pretty tired of being the country stereotype. Of course, this comes from a dirty northerner, so take this all with a bit o’ salt . . .

From those two songs, I could really get an idea that they are trying to reinvent themselves. I’m willing to wait for them to merge their new ideas into music that will hopefully take advantage of their prodigous instrumental talent in conjunction to Natalie Maines’ incredible voice. I for one am looking forward to it . . . perhaps the Dixie Chicks should venture off a major label so they can have a little more freedom. I don’t know, as really the Dixie Chicks are my only exposure to country music so I’m not sure how that scene goes. However it goes, I hope their next one has a lot more folk and a lot less pop country. But I’m willing to wait. In the meantime, I’ve got the Wilders to keep me company . . .

-patrick

Dixie Chicks – Taking the Long Way