A Little Bit Of Dixie Does You Good
Ok those of you in Britain, and had heard of the Dixie Chicks before they made some disparaging remarks about their President Bush back in 2003 put your hands up. Ok the rest of us had heard about them after those remarks and probably still not actually heard any of their music, and probably stuck them in the "Country Music" box to be avoided in the UK like the plague. Well avoid them no more.
With the release of their new album 'Taking The Long Way', they are definitely here to be listened to as a fantastic cross-over band that have country in their soul and rock in their hearts. This is a fantastic album tinged with some great personal meanings but the music is so brilliant and the songs so well crafted. The album was co-written by the Dixie Chicks - Natalie Maines with sisters Emily Robinson & Martie Maguire - and produced by Rick Rubin. Lyrically the album covers a whole range of topics but at its centre is a diary that focuses on that moment in 2003 (where the band commented on President Bush), and the reaction that followed. The new album features an impressive band including Red Hot Chilli Peppers drummer Chad Smith, bass player Larry Knetchel, (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers') Benmont Tench on keyboards and Mike Campbell on guitar, plus co-writers Dan Wilson, Pete Yorn and Gary Louris of The Jayhawks.
The ladies of Dixie Chicks make it clear that they are here to lead and not follow, whether it is in their politics or in their music, where we see them successfully crossover from good 'ole Country Music to being very comfortable with Rock 'n' Roll.
You have to admire the Dixie Chicks, as they certainly stand out from all the other girl bands around. In fact the Dixie Chicks have talent, pure musical talent, and no relying on dance routines and bouncing boobs to sell records.
The album opens with 'The Long Way Round', which is a great country rock track very upbeat, which covers various aspects of their lives so far. 'Easy Silence' is far slower and more emotional number, slightly political in the wording. Whereas 'Not Ready To Make Nice' is the two fingered trick, showing how they coped with all the death threats after making comments about President Bush; to me this is one of the stand out tracks on the album.
Even now they are not afraid to make statements on their album, as this is what they had to say about 'Lubbock or Leave it', Emily: "We'd seen a documentary called "The Education of Shelby Knox," which was about a girl - she was 16 at the time, very religious - trying to get Lubbock to teach sex education in the schools. And Lubbock has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy and STDs in the US, so it really showed what happens when you keep this information away from people. Lubbock is also one of the last hold-out radio stations that still won't play us, and of course Natalie is from Lubbock, so she has personal experience with the box that a small town can keep you in."
Natalie: "It's not just about Lubbock, but about any small, hypocritical town. Mike was asking me for all the details - the stores, streets and I came up with this long list of names. We talked about the irony of having a big painting of Buddy Holly at the airport - that his face is the last thing you see before getting on a plane!"
I do feel bad for my family who's still there and has to defend me - after everything they already went through, to have to do it again."
There are so many brilliant tracks on this album I could sit here listing them all day. One thing SonyBMG should be doing is really pushing this album at the UK's radio stations. Ladies and gentlemen of the UK let me introduce to you the Dixie Chicks, more than a country band and better than any girl band. Get your ears listening to 'Taking The Long Way', you will not regret it.