Okay, can someone explain to me what exactly is going on here? I'm starting to like the very same musicians that my ex-girlfriend and I used to fight over. First it was Alanis Morissette, and now it's the Dixie Chicks. Very well. I'll let her have the last laugh.

I guess there's a strange part of me that, even if I was turned off by a popular album that an artist put out a few years back, retains a certain morbid curiosity about them whenever a new album surfaces. To be fair to both Alanis and the Dixie Chicks, I always found their music intriguing - it was just the lyrics that irritated me. I liked the hide behind the "objectionable content" excuse at the time, but in all honesty, it could have just as easily been a fragile male ego thing. I didn't enjoy Alanis' blockbuster American debut dedicated to skewering ex-boyfriends, and I didn't particularly relish a particular upbeat, peppy song about offing an abusive husband that the Dixie Chicks had become notable for. I did my best to tolerate the Chicks at the time, even going so far as to review their album Fly (alright, so it was chosen for me as part of a Write-Off), but I still insisted that "Goodbye Earl" and "Sin Wagon" get the skip button whenever the CD was playing in my ex-girlfriend's car. (The fight that ensued may well have been one of the final nails in the coffin.) Nonetheless, I had to admit that I came away with at least a slight appreciation for the Dixie Chicks' musical sensibilities - while they occasionally succumbed to the awkward pop hybrid style that dominates country radio these days, they knew how to crank up the old acoustic guitar, fiddle and banjo from time to time and just have a blast.

How fortunate it was for me, then, that the Dixie Chicks had a bit of a falling out with their label, and country music in general, while working on the follow-up to Fly. What resulted was the 2002 release of Home, an all-acoustic journey through some of the finest country, folk and bluegrass arrangements I've ever heard. (Not that I've heard that many, to be honest, but I'm exceptionally glad that this isn't another watered-down country pop album.) While my favorite artists tend to be on the rock end of the spectrum, I've become more partial to acoustic music in the past few years, and few things can disrupt a lovely folk song more easily than a drum kit or an electric guitar. Whatever happened to the Chicks after Fly, it seems to have been enough to convince 'em to screw the charts and pursue a style with less obvious appeal, but about ten times as much artistic integrity. In fact, the entirety of Home places the Chicks somewhere on the musical map close to the neo-bluegrass trio Nickel Creek. And that ain't bad company by any means.

So what about the lyrics? They were my complaint last time around. I suppose I can best sum up this record's lyrical approach by saying that the girls have successfully cleaned up their act without losing any of their edge or charm. You won't find any murder or promiscuity here (well, unless you count one amusing tale of an unwed expecting couple rushing to remedy the situation) - overall - Home is an extremely good-hearted record. Given their choice to duck the spotlight and take a few risks, it's hard to account for this. They could have been as audacious as they wanted (which I suppose they can still be, considering lead singer Natalie Maines' comments about George W. Bush during the group's European tour - but as Bush himself pointed out, that's part of what this country is about, being able to have the freedom to say stuff like that. End of political aside.) I wonder sometimes if somebody in the group had a baby - that always seems to make your average musician grow up a little bit. In any event, my love for this record has much less to do with what it isn't about than it has to do with what it is about. It's about a returning to the familiar things that you've left behind for too long, and it's about regretting having let them go in the first place. You'll find your expected tales of strife and heartbreak, as expected on any country album, and you'll also find some intriguing cover songs and even a blast of an instrumental track. Overall, this thing is filled to the brim with excellent lyrics, gorgeous melodies, and skilled instrumentalism that knows when to make good use of the "wide open spaces" left by the near-complete absence of conventional percussion.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that, despite my former contempt for the group, I can't stop listening to them now. How's that for a testimonial?

Long Time Gone
Now me and Delia, singin' every summer
Watchin' the children in the garden grove
Listen to the radio to hear what's cookin'
But the music ain't got no soul...
The Chicks get off to a fabulous start here, breaking out the banjo and acoustic guitar in all of their finger-picked glory, while Martie Seidel's fiddle glues the whole thing together as it plays with the song's main melody line. Natalie Maines spouts off some observational lyrics about the slow pace of life in her hometown, and they seem to be coming from the perspective of someone who's been away from friends and family for a while. There's a warm, celebratory feeling to the song, as if the girls are assured that they're back where they belong. Natalie even gets in a witty shot at the country music industry, which apparently is the thing that kept her away for so long, when she sums up her attitude of the singers she hears on the radio: "They sound tired, but they don't sound Haggard/They've got money, but they don't have Cash/They've got Junior, but they don't have Hank." Due to the inherent twang in her voice (which seems to be infinitely more appealing overall when compared to her performance on Fly), it's tough to make out a few lyrics - there's one line where she states "I ain't honked a horn since I don't know when", and I could swear she's singing "I ain't looked at porn since I don't know when." (You just have to love the little lyrical faux pas I'm always coming up with.)

Landslide
Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
While country artists are known for covering each other ad nauseum, it's always interesting to hear a country act reinterpreting a song from a group outside of their genre. I suppose the Dixie Chicks didn't need to venture that far to dig up a Fleetwood Mac song, but still, it's interesting to hear their take on this one, in much the same way that it's interesting to hear Nickel Creek do left-field covers. The song is picked out in a seeming sense of needing to be delicate, almost as if the girls fear triggering the avalanche of snow that they're singing about. It seems to be a song about the fear of change, about not wanting to lose someone because of the wave of emotions they might get lost in. At the same time, this change seems to be inevitable, and that realization seems to create the uneasy feeling that I mentioned this song having. It's got some lovely mandolin and slide guitar moments, but the real show-stealer here (and on several other songs) is the way the girls harmonize.

Travelin' Soldier
So they went down and they sat on the pier
He said, "I bet you got a boyfriend, but I don't care
I got no one to send a letter to
Would you mind if I sent one back here to you?"
Given this album's tilt towards the softer side of the Dixie Chick's sound, it's not surprising that they hit us early on with one of their more devastating ballads. Interestingly, this song manages to tread the shaky ground between celebrating the bravery of a young man going away to fight in Vietnam and mourning the unnecessary loss of life caused by war. Rather than making a direct statement that would align them with sign-bearing war protestors or flag-waving war supporters, the song instead focuses on a simple love story between the young soldier and a girl he meets in the diner before being shipped off overseas. They write to each other and she holds out hope for his return... but of course, this being a country song, he doesn't make it home alive. When the girl hears the news at a football game and retreats under the grandstands to cry her eyes out, I just can't help but feeling like crawling under there and crying along with her. It's sad in an effective way. The music is by no means weak, either - the lyrics seem to cause Natalie's vocals to continually drive the song forward, and that and the gentle thumping of the upright bass seem to cause the song to do a gentle dance around the room. It's a tough effect to explain, but it keeps the song delicate while never making it feel slow. This is one of the few songs where you'll find drums on the album - a military-style drum cadence joins with the fiddle near the end of the song to create a sort of funeral fanfare for our young hero.

Truth No. 2
This time when he swung the bat
And I found myself laying flat, I wondered
What a way to spend a dime
What a way to use the time, ain't it, baby?
After two mellower songs, the girls jump-start the album again with this angular, enigmatic little number, which seems to be about a couple struggling to see things eye to eye. Natalie asserts that "You don't like the sound of the truth comin' from my mouth", as if to say that she knows she's right and she knows it's not an easy thing for him to hear, but she won't let him make up his own version of the truth. However, his response seems to be either a harsh rebuke, or perhaps even physical violence, depending on whether you take the song metaphorically or literally. And through it all, she seems to want peace in their relationship more than just proving she's right. She bargains with him, "Swing me way down south, and sing me something brave from your motuh/And I'll bring you pearls of water on my hips, and the love in my lips.". It would be a very sad song if it weren't for the insistent fiddle and banjo keeping things bright and happy - hence the "enigmatic" element of the song. Whatever it means, it sure is catchy.

White Trash Wedding
Mama don't approve, Mama don't approve
Daddy says he's the best in town and mama don't approve...
As you can probably guess from the title, this is the song that would vie for the role of this album's equivalent to "Goodbye Earl". I suppose some folks could be mildly offended by the reference to "white trash", though it's never explicitly mentioned in the song. The song is a short, sweet, and extremely upbeat ode to a young and clueless couple approaching the altar for a last-minute wedding that they can barely afford - as the chorus states, "I should be wearin' white, and you can't afford no ring." It later becomes clear that the rush is due to a pregnancy - "Say I do and kiss me quick, 'cause baby's on its way". While there aren't quite enough lyrics to make it a truly hilarious song, it's extremely well-played and well-harmonized by the girls, and pretty much every instrument gets a chance at a solo despite the song running under three minutes. It flies by and comes to a sudden halt, much like the slipshod marriage ceremony that it describes.

A Home
Four walls, a roof, a door, some windows
Just a place to run when my working day is through...
The record's title track seems to be an easy one to overlook at first - it's slow and less based on flashy instrumentation, and it's a bit difficult to determine where the verse ends and the chorus begins, causing it to lack an obvious hook. Regardless, the subject matter and the beautiful harmonies and chord changes cause it to be one of the standout tracks on the record. The song has a wistful, lonely feel, as it well should, since it details the regrets of a woman who let her man go due to some unspecified fear, and now she's faced with a life of solitude in "a house that might have been a home". It's certainly a far cry from the confident, defiant declaration of "Ready to run, all I'm ready to do is have some fun" found on the last album. There's a great slide guitar solo in this one, among other things.

More Love
We're afraid to be idle, so we fill up the days
We run on the treadmill, keep slavin' away...
Keeping the mood slow and pensive, the girls infuse this next number with a slight Celtic sensibility (something that they hinted at on "Ready to Run", actually, and something I wish they'd explore a little more). It flows by on a breezy 6/8 rhythm, providing a peaceful backdrop for a very straightforward call for peace. This song could be viewed as an anti-war statement from the group, since it mentioned "people fightin' their wars" and urges us to "lay down our weapons", but I really think it deals more with personal conflict and the things we fill up our lives with in order to avoid dealing with those hurt feelings. To be honest, it all boils a fairly generic statement about how love is what we need to solve our problems, which may be true, but it comes across as a bit heavy-handed. The song is still quite beautiful, though.

I Believe in Love
I made a promise to myself
Locked it way deep down inside
Told my heart we'd wait it out
Swore we'd never compromise...
I'll admit to being a bit bored with this track, since it ends up being the third track in a row and the second with more generic lyrics about love. You can probably tell as much from the title - this is the lyrical weak point of the record, but at least this time that weakness can be attributed to cliché lyrics and not to anything morally objectionable. It's a very softspoken song that finds Natalie regretting a relationship that went sour, but believing that it's better for her to be alone now, and that's she'll find love again later. It's got a pretty vocal line during the chorus and some pleasant fiddle interludes, so it's a lot less of an offender in the boringness department than say, "Without You", but still, I think more could have been done with it than a simple verse which leads into the chorus and then leaves us hanging, as the song doesn't do anything else after that point but repeat the chorus.

Tortured, Tangled Hearts
Well, a blast of confusion coupled with delusion
Makes the best made plans sometimes fail...
Perhaps showing us the other side of "White Trash Wedding", another upbeat hoedown-ready track (albeit not as fast-paced as the aforementioned song) appears here. A woman feeling trapped in a marriage after a relatively short period of time decides to just get up and walk out, figuratively ripping the heart-shaped tattoo off of her husband's chest. It's a song that seems to pose some questions about the pain of divorce and whether the problem was unfaithfulness or a bad decision being made in the first place when they got married. Either way, the Chicks empathize with the couple's pain and they wish them well - "Bless their tortured, tangled hearts".

Lil' Jack Slade
A highly enjoyable instrumental track follows, ranking right up there with Nickel Creek's "Smoothie Song" and "House of Tom Bombadil" due to its dizzyingly fast finger work and its rhythmic hairpin turns. Actually, I believe that Chris Thile shows up to play mandolin on this track, but I could be wrong. In any event, while I have no complaints about Natalie's vocals, it certainly is fun to hear them attempting a bluegrass-flavored instrumental. It serves to remind us that the group is more than just a trio of pretty faces and voices.

Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)
The rocket racer's all tuckered out
Superman's in pajamas on the couch
Goodnight moon, we'll find the mouse
And I love you...
Well, a good time has been had by all, and now it's time to pick up our toys and say goodnight. This gentle, guitar-led song is actually a lullabye being sung to a young child. While the Chicks didn't write it, Natalie manages to sound entirely convincing in her motherly role as she helps the child to say his prayers and to be thankful for things both big and small. Country legend Emmylou Harris shows up for an understated but lovely background vocal here - the Chicks certainly have friends in high places! While some might see the song as a bit contrived, I think it's only sappy to the point where that is appropriate for such a song, and it's filled with enough specific imagery to make it sound non-generic. (This is another one of those songs that plays tricks on my ears - I end up expecting things to rhyme where they're not supposed to, so when she sings "God bless Mommy and matchbox cars", I almost expect to hear "God bless Mommy and Matchbox Twenty", because "twenty" sort of rhymes with "mommy". But I'm just crazy like that.)

Top of the World
'Cause everyone's singing, we just wanna be heard
Disappearing everyday without so much as a word somehow...
By this point, the record has slipped into a very quiet mode, and since "Godspeed" almost sounded like the kind of song you'd end an album with, the appearance of this final track makes it feel like it could have been a "hidden" or "bonus" track that they just decided to go ahead and list. It is another slow song, and it does a fine job of closing the album in style - it just doesn't happen in an expected way. Right away, Natalie throws us for a loop by confessing, "I wish I was smarter, I wish I was stronger/I wish I loved Jesus the way that my wife does." Wait a minute, your wife? Clearly, she's singing from the point of view of someone else. Maybe multiple someone elses - the song appears to be a junkyard of long lost wishes that never got granted, and there's a feeling of struggling and sadness, trying to rise above the things that these people currently are. A softly picked mandolin and some mournful bass notes once again give us a very "fragile" feeling, and the sadness factor sets in when she sings "I think I broke the wings off that little songbird/She's never gonna fly to the top of the world right now." However, after a few false endings where the girls' harmonies fall off into an uneasy silence, the song takes on a brighter tone, allowing the fiddle and a few other stringed instruments to gradually take over, possibly signaling a sort of death and rebirth. As they fade out, you can picture that wounded bird flying off into the stratosphere. It's a hauntingly beautiful moment that unintentionally echoes the final sentiment on the last album - "I'm gonna let him fly."

While it's a difficult task to balance the pensive and often sad ballads with the feisty, upbeat songs, I think the Dixie Chicks have done almost as good a job as can be expected of any artist on this record. Despite a few moments where the tempo drags, and a few lyrics that could have been shored up, I can't call Home anything less than a genuinely excellent record. It sounds comfortable and yet challenging for the group, and that's what I think is important in a genre where so many of the popular artists have "pop crossover" continually dangling in front of them. It's refreshing to hear the Chicks doing what it seems like they just plain wanted to do without any record label intervention. It'll be interesting to see where they go from here, but with or without label support, I'm pretty confident that the Chicks have some good years of genuine country music ahead of them.

You know, I really, really hope my ex-girlfriend has this record by now. Something tells me she'd love it.

ALBUM WORTH:
Long Time Gone $2
Landslide $1.50
Travelin' Soldier $2
Truth No. 2 $2
White Trash Wedding $1.50
A Home $2
More Love $1
I Believe in Love $.50
Tortured, Tangled Hearts $1
Lil' Jack Slade $1.50
Godspeed (Sweet Dreams) $1.50
Top of the World $1.50
TOTAL: $18

CONCLUSION: Definitely worth full price. But you can probably get a cheaper used copy from a disgruntled Reupblican.

Band Members:
Natalie Maines: Lead & harmony vocals
Martie Seidel: Harmony vocals, fiddle, viola
Emily Robison: Harmony vocals, banjo, dobro, lap steel, acoustic guitar

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: At Work