It's almost impossible to discuss the Dixie Chicks without bringing up their politics. You folks know the drill: Lead singer Natalie Maines insulted Bush during a concert in London back in 2003, and next thing you know the group is being boycotted by country radio stations back in the States, and country music as a larger community more or less decides it has no use for them any more. It's been discussed and debated ad nauseum right now. Where do I stand on the whole thing? Well, quite frankly I think it's too bad that some people can't separate an artist's personal views from their work, and feel that disagreeing on political matters should lead to wholesale boycotts of a musician's work and so forth. But I also think that if you're a celebrity and you make a remark like that in a public setting, you'd better be willing to deal with the repercussions (especially when you know that the majority of your core audience leans toward the politically conservative). You won't catch me feeling sorry for them over their sales taking a hit or whatever - they're still mega-popular, just to a more diverse audience. But I do feel bad that someone would get so bent out of shape over the President being insulted that they'd basically issue death threats. Seriously, when it gets to the point where we're willing to kill over political differences, that's when patriotism stops being American and becomes something else entirely.

Anyway, you're not reading this review because you want to know what I think about the Dixie Chicks' politics; you're reading it because you want to know what I think of their music. When I reviewed Home, which was the least pop-crossover-oriented of the group's albums and by far their most excellent piece of work, I didn't get into that issue too much because the album had been released before the whole Bush debacle. In 2006, however, the group finally released their next disc, Taking the Long Way, which was basically their first chance to respond to all of the criticism and nastiness through their songwriting. And while there's not a single instance of Bush-bashing to be found on the album (unless you count a razor-sharp swipe at the "religious right" or a plaintive morality play about peace on Earth), you can definitely tell at the outset of the album that their lives have changed forever as a result of the big controversy. In a way, what was hell for them to go through personally was one of the best things for them artistically - the stakes seem to be higher here, not only in the songs that deal with the harsh judgment of many of their former fans, but also in songs that deal with relationships and changing family dynamics. You won't find a lot of fluffy, generic love songs on this record - maybe some cliche lyrics here and there, but only one or two that fall as flat as "Without You" or "I Believe in Love".

Unfortunately, the same point at which the group took a step forward in the lyrics department is the one where they took two steps back in the music department. You'll know from the get-go that this is a country-pop record through and through - occasional nods to the rowdy Southern-fried style of some of their more notorious singles and the gentle, earthy folk music that comprised much of Home are still present, but there's a lot more of an "Mild rock band comprised of studio players from Los Angeles" feel to the music, lurking behind the more interesting parts played by the banjos and mandolins and fiddles and slide guitars and whatnot. For the first half of the record, it doesn't seem like a terrible choice - after all, they knew they were going after an expanded audience, so they didn't have to play by the country music rulebook. But in the second half, things get rather slow and boring, with the few returns to more of an upbeat mood coming across as rather shallow and annoying. They pretty much swept the Grammies because of this disc, but honestly, I don't think they deserved it. Maybe if the back half of the album was more like the front, they'd have a solid and formidable piece of work that compared favorably to Home. But the results here are often too much like other country artists who have crossed over - they're just a little more outspoken than most.

To be really blunt with you, I think it might be that outspokenness that really won them those Grammies. A lot of folks in the mainstream music biz probably appreciated the Chicks for sticking to their guns and ultimately not caving to the pressure to fit a politically conservative definition of what it means to be "American", despite the price they'd have to pay for that career-wise. And some of those folks probably thought they should win something for basically burning any potential bridges they'd have with the CMAs. So fine, give 'em a lifetime achievement award for Whatever-the-Hell Inspirational Cause. Grammies are supposed to be awards given for making awesome music. In reality, that hasn't been true of the Grammies in a while, with name recognition often winning the day over artistic quality, but this seems to be one of the more glaring examples where it feels like an artist is getting an award for doing something beyond the scope of what the award should be for. Could it be that some folks on the more liberal side of the equation fell for the lie that appreciating someone's political views meant that you had to like their music as well? If so, that's merely the contrapositive to the statement, "I can't stand their political views and therefore I'm not allowed to like their music", and I think it's just as bad.

Sigh. There I go rambling about the politics again. I'm getting to the meat and bones of the music now, I promise. Just stick with me for a little bit longer.

The Long Way Around
I met the queen of whatever
Drank with the Irish and smoked with the hippies
Moved with the shakers
Wouldn't kiss all the @$$es that they told me to...
The album opens with a strong testament to what the group has been through over the past few years - it's an acknowledgement that they're choosing the road less traveled and they don't care if it makes them look weird to their former country music allies. From the reference point of Fly or Wide Open Spaces, this is as appropriate a follow-up as any, with the drums and the sliding electric guitar overlaying a pop/rock feel on top of a defiant country song. But from the reference point of Home, I'm tempted to think less of it just for relying on those rock music elements, especially the drums, an instrument which was almost entirely absent from Home, and which wasn't missed because it distilled the Chicks' music down to its three core musicians. But that's not a totally fair judgment - there's a bit of banjo plucking and a violin solo. The country/bluegrass elements have emerged to rejoin the pop/rock elements, and that's alright. It's a well-written look back at a long journey, referencing past Dixie Chicks songs by saying "I've been a long time gone now" and later, "It's been two long years now since the top of the world cam crashing down". Natalie's as defiant as she's ever been, bluntly saying that she's done kissing @$$ and trying to please people, but she also realizes that "I guess I could have made it easier on myself" - it's not like the people who decided they didn't like her just randomly did it for no reason. I get tired of songs that just complain about all the people who hate an artist's music, but when one is willing to acknowledges that they've made choices and not everyone's going to agree and that's just how life is, I can respect that. A solid performance here, and it's lovely to hear these three ladies belting out a strong chorus in unison after such a long break in between albums.

Easy Silence
Monkeys on the barricades
Are warning us to back away
They form commissions trying to find
The next one they can crucify...
Track two is really too soon for a ballad like this, but there's a slight shortage of upbeat tunes on this album, so we have to pace ourselves. Thematically, this song is a good move, going inward a little more after showing strength in the opening song, to reveal a little more vulnerability. Over a gentle acoustic strum, Natalie manages to mix politics and romance - not an easy task - as she describes actions taken by her own country over which she's taken heat for bluntly disagreeing, and then turns to her husband and thanks him for providing a refuge, a place of silence where he doesn't have to talk to fix everything, he just has to be there for her. Little bits of piano and the gentle hum of Martie Maguire's violin contribute to a peaceful mood as she sweetly thanks him for "the way you keep the world at bay for me". It's a solid sentiment that doesn't come across as mushy, because she's written something very specific to their relationship, and she's showing strength while also admitting the need for someone to help protect her from a heartless world. I like that both of those elements are in play - these ladies are in-your-face and not about to play second fiddle for any man, but that doesn't mean that they think their husbands are useless or anything. That's how marriage works - you trust in each other's strengths and fill in the gaps where the other person can't quite manage to do it alone.

Not Ready to Make Nice
I made by bed, and I sleep like a baby
With no regrets, and I don't mind saying
It's a sad, sad story that a mother will teach
Her daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger...
This one's really the crux of the album, thematically speaking - it's a slow, brooding number that breaks into a lyrically harsh but melodically memorable chorus, and it's the most direct kiss-off to any nay-sayers left out there who would actually still bother to pick up a Dixie Chicks CD (or turn on one of the non-country radio stations playing their singles) out of curiosity. I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with this one - the angst is well-played and Natalie sings with plenty of fire and grit, and also sadness in the song's quieter verses, and I totally agree that she has the right to be "mad as hell" and I admire her for having the stones (yes, women can have stones) to stand up and say she's not going to be stopped, even by death threats. But I have difficulties with that one little line - "Forget, sounds good. Forgive, don't think I could." Healing is a process and I totally understand hating someone who's done you wrong for a while and admitting that you can't just magically forgive all at once, so this song is part of a process and not the end result. It still stings at times when the song communicates that it's OK to not forgive. I feel that way because I know the kind of bitterness that comes back around to bite you when you don't. Eventually, you've just got to if you're ever going to rise above the petty acts that were done against you. Not that I expect the Dixie Chicks to adhere to my own personal moral standards (see "Sin Wagon"), but anyway, it's the one area where I have trouble enjoying the song. There's another sweet violin solo in the middle, though. I love that, I love the chorus, I love the horns that break in near the end, and I love Natalie's climactic rant right before said violin solo.

Everybody Knows
I can change like colors on a wall
Hoping no one else will find what lies beneath it all
I think I hide it all so well...
Yay, mandolin! The Chicks once again sprinkle in just the right amount of organic country goodness into an otherwise inoffensive, toe-tapping pop/rock song. (I don't mind the drums so much, it's just that I kind of expect drums to either give us a beat that stands out or just get the hell out of the way, and the drumming on this record is rather pedestrian, for the most part.) This one has a semi-cheery melody and you might mistake it for a happier tune if you're not paying attention, but we've actually gone back to more of a vulnerable mood here. Natalie's riding the fence between her strong side and her weak side here - she wants to act like the insults and threats just roll off of her and she can stand up there on stage, keep a smile on her face, and show relentless courage. But she knows that her friends and her audience can see through her - the old "sticks and stones" adage has proven not to be true, and however flippantly she's responded to the criticisms, they still hurt. It's a bittersweet but lovely little song - good choice for a single.

Bitter End
You had a good time drinking all of our wine
After the show
We all rode the wave of that crazy parade
Oh, where'd you go?
Slowing things down a bit here, the Chicks change things up with a swaying ballad in 6/8 time - one of those "cry in your alcoholic drink of choice and bid farewell to the days of innocence" sorts of songs. Martie's fiddle weaves around the melancholy melody, as Natalie sings to some old friends who have been taken away from her due to reasons that aren't clearly explained. She makes reference to the "water" coming to take them away, which makes me think of Hurricane Katrina or the tsunamis of late 2004, but other parts of the song seem to hint that this isn't a song about death, it's a song about friends becoming enemies, which fits in better with the overall theme of the album. She's staked her claim and her old country music buddies and fans and radio stations and industry professionals and whatever other contacts she had in the business have staked theirs, and now they're on opposite sides. She can mockingly raise a glass and toast them, but it leaves her a little more bitter than she's willing to directly admit.

Lullaby
I slip in bed when you're asleep
To hold you close and feel your breath on me
Tomorrow there'll be so much to do
So tonight I'll drift in a dream with you...
At this point I think a break from the songs inspired by recent controversies is well-timed - this is the first song on the album that applies more broadly - it's a slow, gentle, and 100% captivating ode to motherhood, likely inspired by the birth of Emily Robison's twins during the making of the album. The careful guitar picking and repetitive pacing of the song might lead some to think it's a bit of a momentum killer (it's well over five minutes long), but one listen to those voices cascading one after the other - "How long do you wanna be loved?" - and I find myself feeling all gushy every time, thinking that just maybe, having my own kids someday won't be as much of a total pain in the butt as I've been warned that it can be. The follow-up to that question is even more of a heartstring-tugger - "Is forever enough? 'Cause I'm never, never giving you up." Add in some twinkly sound effects, evoking a starry night, and another gorgeous violin solo in the middle, and wow, they've managed to outdo "Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)" from the last album, which was a pretty darn good lullaby to begin with. Did I mention that there are no drums here? I don't miss 'em.

Lubbock or Leave It
On the strip the kids get lit
So they can have a real good time
Come Sunday they can just take their pick
From the crucifix skyline...
There are definitely drums here. And loud steel guitars. And Emily's picking away on that old banjo with as much sass as a banjo can possibly muster. This is the kind of song that you listen to while hauling massive bales of hay in a pick-up truck so big you could demolish Fort Knox with it if you wanted to. And for my money, it steals the "attention-getting feisty song" award right out from under "Not Ready to Make Nice". This time around it's a finger jab and a squirt of lemon juice in the eye of Natalie's hometown, Lubbock, Texas, and the intertwined subculture of politics and religion that apparently makes the place look to her like it's packed with a bunch of self-righteous Christians who can raise all the hell they want on Saturdays so long as they're seen in church with their suits and ties and pretty hats on Sunday. Natalie doesn't feel welcome there any more, and she writes this song as a kiss-off to a culture she wants no part of, sarcastically saying, "Temptation's strong, salvation's gone. I'm on my way to hell's half-acre. How will I ever get to heaven now?" It might be a smidgen egotistical of her to make a comparison to fellow Lubbockite Buddy Holly, but I think she's right on the money when she points out the hypocrisy in rejecting a politically or artistically polarizing figure while they're still alive, and then erecting statues of them when they're dead. It's kind of funny that this one turned out to be my favorite song on the album, because it could be read as a mean swipe at my religious beliefs, but since I'm just about equally fed up with people who assume that their political beliefs are a mandate from God that all should follow, I'm actually taking her side on this one. I wish she wouldn't judge all of Christianity by it, but I can't blame her for pointing out what she's seen thus far and calling it a bunch of bull. (Now I've never been to Lubbock personally, and I have no idea if it's actually like what's she's describing, but I've met people like this even in liberal Southern California, and therefore I can relate, so if you're a kind and sweet person who happens to be from Lubbock, then please don't send me any nasty letters or death threats. Thanks.)

Silent House
One room, two single beds
In the closet hangs your favorite dress
The books that you read
Are in scattered piles of paper shreds...
So basically I've had very little negative to say about the first seven songs on this album. Hope you enjoy those as much as I'm enjoying them. Now's the part where it slowly starts to suck. The album doesn't crash and burn away - this haunting acoustic ballad with its firm guitar strumming gets its point across well enough, and I definitely feel the sense of loss as the Chicks describe an empty shell of a house still filled with memories of a lover who left, or perhaps it's about an aging, deteriorating relative who is there physically but not so much mentally, and the sense of cheer they used to bring to the family is gone. The subject matter reminds me of "A Home", which is one of my favorite Dixie Chicks songs, and I have to say that the melody here just doesn't compete. The song just kinds of plods along - Emily and Martie do their best to spice it up with more banjo plucking and a fiddle break with some genuine fire to it, but ultimately, the whole thing just drags out longer than it needs to, making you think it's coming to an end, and then going another lap beyond the point where it's gotten tedious.

Favorite Year
You looked at me like no one else
But sometimes love just doesn't seem to conquer all
We search for someone else to blame
But sometimes things can't stay the same...
Following that up is another ballad, this time co-written with Sheryl Crow, which probably explains why it bores me. (Sorry if you're a Sheryl Crow fan, but I don't think the woman could come up with an interesting melody if her life depended on it.) The feel of it is a little more innocuous - the lyrics are shooting for wistful as they try to dredge up memories of sweeter times in a relationship gone sour. The memories don't seem to be doing much good to repair the relationship, though, and that's about all I get out of the song. There's a lovely bit of slide guitar during the bridge here, which I think was contributed by one of the Chicks' fathers if I'm remembering the Shut Up and Sing documentary correctly, but that's about the only part of the song that does anything for me.

Voice Inside My Head
Now I've got a place
I've got a husband and a child
But I'll never forget
What I've given up in you...
One of two up-tempo songs in the album's back half can only really be described as such because of the songs it follows - the change in pace here is akin to trying to run when you're wading in a waist-deep bog. You can go a little bit faster than walking speed, but not much. Tempo alone doesn't determine a song's value, though - the melody is stronger here, and I get a strong whiff of sadness and regret in the melody and Natalie's tone of voice. Emily actually plays the sitar on this one, which is a brilliant choice - it doesn't turn the song into a total world-music fest or anything (that would honestly be a bit hokey), but it adds a lot of flavor. I have tow problems with this one that keep me from calling it a great song. One is the fact that an up-tempo tune like this which doesn't go through significantly different sections or any other major changes should really wrap itself up more quickly than the leisurely five-minute-plus stroll that this one takes, and the other is the big red "WARNING!" alarm that goes off when Natalie expresses regret over a past boyfriend, clearly stating that she's got a husband and kid now but wonders if she made the right decision. See, those are the kind of things that you really should be asking yourself before getting married and starting a family. If you haven't gotten your old flame out of your system, best to wait. Anyway, it might not actually be about Natalie, or anyone in the group, but once again I'm just coming up against a strong difference between what I believe and what the Dixie Chicks (and actually a lot of the world) believes. I tend to think that "Is he/she really the right one?" is a question that you'd better ask before you tie the knot, because once you do you're essentially saying "Yes, this is the one I chose." Anyway, not to get too heavy-handed about all that - I've heard other interpretations that say it's actually about giving a child up for adoption, or having an abortion, or what have you. Heavy subject matter in any case. I don't have all the answers, but something isn't quite sitting right despite the fact that the song is, for the most part, very well performed.

I Like It
Noisy streets and the sleepy bars
And the neon signs and the rusty cars
How many nights have I wondered how
One goes through life without seeing the beauty of love...
Now we're scraping the bottom of the barrel. I know country music can't - and shouldn't - be a bunch of depressing songs with no hope in sight. But to have this happy song here which basically says, "There are simple fun thing in life that make me feel good, and dammit, I'm going to enjoy them and screw everything else" - it just doesn't ring true. It seems like it's just one of those faces that you put on when you don't want to admit - like Natalie does admit so eloquently in "Easy Silence" and "Everybody Knows" - that sometimes life just throws you for a loop and you need someone's help. That's more of a minor complaint, though - my biggest issue with this song is that it sounds like it's part honky-tonk piano bar tune, and part reject from the soundtrack to the "white chicks" version of Dreamgirls. It's the jaunty, we-wanna-be-Motown rhythm and the irritatingly perky "Bop! Bop!" background vocals that do it for me. I'm all for branching out into other styles (and it's not even like I know jack squat about the style I've presumed that they're attempting here), but seriously, this song is like the most inane thing ever. Bring back the attitude; that's what I like.

Baby Hold On
Good morning
Let's kick the babies out of bed
How bout you and me instead hanging on
Not up and gone...
Lest you forget that these three ladies seem to have an innate ability to harmonize gorgeously with one another, this song's affectionate chorus will serve to remind you. Other than that - a trait which definitely carries over from their country music influences - this song comes close to being as dull as oatmeal. Its mellow electric guitar lead just makes it feel like the usual pop/rock ballad mush, and while I like the plea from a wife to her husband to keep the romance alive and make sure they get some alone time even if it means letting the kids fend for themselves for a breakfast on Saturday morning and not opening that locked bedroom door for a few hours, the music just doesn't sell it, except for that powerful vocal trifecta that makes the chorus shimmer so beautifully.

So Hard
It felt like a given
Something a woman's born to do
A natural ambition
To see a reflection of me and you...
Aargh - another plodding ballad. This album really drags its feet in the most reluctant way possible near the end. I really want to like this song, because it's actually about infertility and how unfair it seems to a couple when they're just trying to procreate the species and have some cute little mini-me's running around the house, which so many other couples not yet up to the task are going to great lengths and spending good money to avoid. Not being able to get pregnant even when you want to can really make a woman question her ability to fulfill a role she believes she's supposed to play - or at least it did for whoever in the group had this struggle (it was either Martie or Emily - I forget at the moment). Powerful subject, and well-stated in the verses, but then the dull chorus comes along and kills it. "It's so hard when it doesn't come easy, it's so hard when it doesn't come fast." Come on, ladies. It's like you were being kind of specific and then you suddenly felt like you needed to speak in code. That chorus could be about anything. It doesn't fit the vulnerable nature of the rest of the song, and consequently, the song is boring.

I Hope
Sunday morning, I heard the preacher say
"Thou shalt not kill"
I don't wanna hear nothing else about killing
And that it's God's will...
Finally we're at this album's bitter end - OK, actually, it's a rather positive one, as the Chicks attempt to do a more universal, humanitarian sort of song with light Gospel and blues overtones to it. You'd think that something like this could really work - I mean, Over the Rhine wanders into this territory from time to time with understated but sublime results. But it doesn't work for the Dixie Chicks. Despite a powerful statement at the beginning of the song that's totally designed to make those Republichristians think twice about the whole "America has the right to blow anybody up who stands for stuff we don't believe in" thing, it quickly fizzles out due to the too-simple approach. The "I hope"s that are supposed to punctuate the chorus are such a weak hook, with the bass bumping along slowly, same note again and again and again because this song is way too afraid to have a solid melody. And it seems far too easy to just put a band-aid on the problems of violence both abroad and in our own homes that are brought up by just wishing that we'd lose all our pain and misery. Give us some insight as to what our alternatives are - I agree that beating the hell out of people isn't a good way to solve your problems, but what do you do? Apparently, you get John Mayer to help people feel the molasses-like vibe of the song by overlaying a bluesy extended guitar solo as the song fades out, akin to some of his mellower work on Continuum. Nope I like Johnny and all, but it's still not working because the backdrop of the song isn't interesting enough to make me think, "Man, I feel an expressive guitar solo coming on!" I know, here I go again criticizing the Chicks for trying on a style that I really know nothing about. But I've heard other artists from the pop/rock/folk end of the spectrum try similar things (John Mayer included) with much more satisfying results, so I'm not expecting genre authenticity, I'm just expecting memorable songwriting regardless of the style.

Thank God, the drudgery is finally over. Fortunately the value of this album's front half makes it seem like it'd still be a good buy for me if I could find it at a reasonable sale price, or used - a little over 10 bucks either way and I'm sold. I certainly have an easier time getting through this album than I did with Fly - I'm annoyed by several songs and bored with a few, but nothing here completely offends me, and enough of it excites me to make it worthwhile. Watching the documentary Shut Up and Sing definitely helped me to gain more appreciation for several songs, but for most folks, you'd have to be a fan to really enjoy that one, and it shouldn't be required viewing just to enjoy their album. I don't want the Chicks to feel confined to country music, but when they stray too far from the folksy instruments, lovely vocal harmonies, and general attitude that they've been blessed to discover as they've made a name for themselves within that genre, it becomes clear that they have a hard time doing much other than being a vaguely pleasant pop vocal group, and I'm just not interested in that. They can take the long road and explore all they want - but I think this album makes it clear that the results are best when we can still see the signposts to their faraway Home.

ALBUM WORTH:
The Long Way Around $1.50
Easy Silence $1
Not Ready to Make Nice $1
Everybody Knows $1.50
Bitter End $1
Lullaby $2
Lubbock or Leave It $2
Silent House $1
Favorite Year $0
Voice Inside My Head $.50
I Like It -$.50
Baby Hold On $.50
So Hard $.50
I Hope $0
TOTAL: $12

Band Members:
Natalie Maines: Lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, omnichord
Emily Robison: Acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, accordion, sitar, papoose, backing vocals
Martie Maguire: Fiddle, mandolin, viola, backing vocals, string arrangements

Website: http://www.dixiechicks.com

Recommended: Yes