PopSyndicate.com

I have a confession to make: I’m biased. I’m partial to the female singer in general, but Natalie Maines is number one in my head and my heart. Her dynamic voice was the final piece of the reformed Dixie Chick puzzle in the mid-nineties, and the energy that cascaded from the group with her addition is what brought them phenomenal success in the late nineties.

A few years ago, however, while touring in Europe to support their last album, Maines made a crucial public relations mistake by saying that the Chicks were embarrassed that the embattled U.S. president came from their (and our shared) state. Consequently, the bottom fell out of their fanbase, sales for Home dropped, protestors assembled outside concerts and radio stations, and Maines even received death threats. This album, Taking the Long Way, is a response to that furor.

The Chicks start the album with the mellow but building “The Long Way Around,” which talks about how their careers fell apart after “The Incident” and then the fists start flying with “Easy Silence,” which talks about the Iraq war and the public’s hate of them. That’s followed by the vow to continue fighting with the impassioned and forceful, “Not Ready to Make Nice” and later on “Lubbock or Leave it,” where Natalie tears apart her West Texas hometown for its hypocrisy. Other songs like “Voice in My Head” and “Baby Hold On” tread standard territories of life and love, but with the mirror of the last three years to reflect upon.

Home marked a transition point for the Chicks, away from bubbly spunk and into darker adult territories. Unfortunately with Long Way, the “Sin Wagon” spunk has been dropped, but it has been replaced with volcanic fire in songs like “Not Ready to Make Nice.” Given the intimate story of their struggle, the entire album was suitably co-written by Natalie, Martie and Emily, which is a first for the group. At the behest of producer Rick Rubin, other notables like Pete Yorn, Sheryl Crow and Keb’Mo all helped craft some of the album’s songs, but the best songs on the album are co-written by Dan Wilson of Semisonic fame. All of the lyrics are more powerful, more honest, more adult, and more poignant than previous albums.

The Chicks have never been a group to allow themselves to be fenced into one specific sound in country pastures. Long Way hits pop, blues, bluegrass and standard country and at times blends all three. As always, a variety of instruments are in play, from fiddle to steel guitar to organ to mandolin and songs like “Baby Hold On” sound like a country orchestra. The girls’ voices are as powerful as ever and their trademark unique three-part harmony is put to good use. John Mayer, Keb and Bonnie Raitt also make thankfully unobtrusive appearances throughout the work.

The Special Edition re-release celebrates the release of the group’s documentary Shut Up And Sing and comes loaded with a DVD. The DVD has performances of the group from AOL, a powerful music video for “Not Ready to Make Nice” and a nice in-depth interview with the quirky Rick Rubin and the girls about making the album and the entire experience.

For a variety of reasons Wide Open Spaces will probably always be my favorite Dixie Chicks album, but the mix of maturity and explosive emotion makes Taking the Long Way their best.

Genre: Country
Sounds like: The Dixie Chicks…sheesh
Best Songs: “Not Ready to Make Nice”, “The Long Way Around”, “Lubbock or Leave It”, “I Like It”

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