no walking on eggshells! TOTAL HIT

Three years after the controversy surrounding the Home tour, the Dixie Chicks are back with a bang on their latest studio album, Taking the Long Way. Receiving some songwriting and musical help from friends like Neil Finn, John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, Chad Smith, Don Wilson, and Pete Yorn, the Chicks' Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire, and Emily Robison deliver an incredible, mature record destined for success, one that will greatly please long time fans and win over some new converts. This is the Dixie Chicks at their best, and it's been a long time coming.

The Long Way Around kicks off the album with a beautiful melody and chorus, with some of their strongest vocal harmonies ever set against a wonderful Tom Petty-like guitar sound. This is the way albums should begin. Easy Silence is a tender piano ballad with some beautiful violin and a great vocal by Natalie. Not Easy To Make Nice delves into some tough lyrics,"they say time heals everything..but I'm still waiting" but surrounds it in some unbelievably gentle strings and a great chorus. Everybody Knows and Bitter End are more traditional country ballads, while Lullaby is a 6-minute track that pays homage to its title. Lubbock or Leave It is a banjo-driven rockabilly track that will make you move on the dance floor, even as the cleverly sarcastic lyrics make you listen a few more times.

Silent House and Favorite Year are ballads that touch on the loss of family and friends. Voice Inside My Head combines acoustic and a wonderful slide guitar with a endearing chorus, "everytime I'm feeling down, I wonder what would it be like with you around." This Cali-beach sound continues on the slinky track I Like It, before slowing down on the bluesy ballad Baby Hold On (with John Mayer on lead guitar) and So Hard (a song which grows on you with every listen). The album closes with the uplifting and soulful I Hope, with its church organ and choral sound. A great way to end this amazing album.

Producer Rob Rubin concentrates the Dixie Chicks sound, drawing out the best of their songwriting and musical ability and making the tracks tighter and more focused. Its 14 tracks clock in at a lengthy 68 minutes, averaging about 4 minutes a song, a nice change in an industry where 45 minute records are the norm. Vocally the ladies are as wonderful as always, but their musicianship also impresses here. They have matured greatly in their songwriting and their lyrics, creating a distinct emotional palette that grows with every listen. Love or hate their politics, as musicians they make some of the best music today. Highly Recommended and one of 2006's Top 5 albums.

Dixie Chicks

Track listing
1. Long Way Around, The
2. Easy Silence
3. Not Ready To Make Nice
4. Everybody Knows
5. Bitter End
6. Lullaby
7. Lubbock Or Leave It
8. Silent House
9. Favorite Year
10. Voice Inside My Head
11. I Like It
12. Baby Hold On
13. So Hard
14. I Hope

Better Than All The Others

Taking the Long Way is an amazingly brilliant and wonderful cd. It shows off the Dixie Chicks musical and singing abilities. You can hear the emotions that these songs are dripping with through Natalie's powerful voice along with Emily and Martie's superb harmonies. The cd stays true to their roots, with Emily and Martie's extremely talented instrumental abilites, but it also has touches of rock and a 70's vibe, which all work great together. Every song was written by the Chicks which again shows how multi-talented they truly are. This is their strongest cd to date. Every song has a meaning to it. The subject matter ranges from infertility,Alzheimer's disease, finding love, pondering past descisons, people knowing all your business in a small town, and one of the most inspiring songs on the album, "I Hope," which is about hoping for a peaceful and happy world and teaching your childern the diffence between right and wrong. The title song on the album, "The Long Way Around," is an autobiographical songs about how the Dixie Chicks have came about and have became what they have. This cd makes all the other country artists look rather silly. Country music has slipped back down to this horrble place that makes it look stupid and very hickish which is why a lot of people never liked country music in the first place. The Dixie Chicks made country cool again and most songs on country radio today have no meaning and are hollow. The Dixie Chicks shine far and above the rest in any genre of music. This is a cd you should definately add to your collection and it is well worth your money. After you listen to the cd you will know what I am talking about. Taking the Long Way will become a classic and an example of what great music is.

Dixie Chicks- Taking the Long Way

With all of the controversy surrounding Chicks singer Natalie Maines during their last concert tour... (She said on stage that the band was "ashamed" to be from the same state as President Bush, Texas...re: his handling of the war in Iraq. Radio stations and some fans boycotted the group]... I was very interested to see how far away from the country vein they would go with their next release. [ps I can't understand the outrage- so many other celebrities have done and said much worse about how the country is run] Thankfully, I am very happy with Taking the Long Way, and am expecting several hit songs to emerge from the effort- which is indeed a "long way" from country, but extremely enjoyable nevertheless. The new songs are all written by the Chicks, and in some cases extremely personal- and don't fall in line with some of their previous semi-mindless-lyrically-wise sing-a-long types. But that won't stop their true fans from joining in. Maines remains the driving force here for very listenable, hook-laden songs- backed by the usual awesome harmonies delivered by Marty Maguire and Emily Robison. Personally I'm not hearing enough of Maguire's piercing fiddle play here, but expect I wouldn't be disappointed in concert.

Great Album! Winner 2006 Album of Year! Go Chicks Go!

Well I guess it goes to show you that good music is just that, good music. Now that this album has won 3 Grammy's (including best album 2006). In fact, this album is the first country album to ever win the Album of the Year award. I knew it was a great album about a year ago, and now the Chicks have been given the recognition they deserve for their talent.

I still believe this album is an elegant answer to the abuse they received following their comments about our 43rd President. Since I wrote this review, I've learned a bit more about the hatred and malice that, so called "patriotic americans", have expressed against these three talented women. Shame on them all ! ! ! The malicious individuals shun the very basic inalienable rights that our country was founded upon, "freedom of speech and freedom of expression". Here's one for the good gals of the Dixie Chicks!

Read on for my thoughts about this wonderful album. I would suggest you purchase this album from iTunes where you'll also get a bonus interview by the chicks in which they discuss some of the threats that they've had to endure of the past several years.

I admit that I'm not an audiophile, but I do know what kind of music I like, and this album is great! I don't usually remember lyrics, but the meaningful lyrics of this album seem to stick in my head.

American's behaved reprehensively to these three talented ladies after Natalie Mane's expressed her political opinion about George Bush and the war in Iraq. They got death threats and had all kinds of nasty things occurred in each of their lives because of a comment that radical conservatives couldn't accept.

Well isn't our great nation built on the premise of "Freedom of Speech"? I happen to agree with Natalie's political expression. Even if you don't agree with her political position, she has the right to express it. Isn't that what we're fighting for in Iraq? To all those who express anger towards the Dixie Chicks, shame on you! Maybe you need to think about what it means to be an American!

This is a GREAT album with great lyrics and terrific arrangements. Even if it wasn't so great, I probably would have bought it just to show my support for the freedoms and liberty we enjoy here in these United States! Go Girls Go ! ! !