Album Review – The (Dixie) Chicks – “Gaslighter”
Man, if the boat of Natalie Maines could talk….
There is so much to distill when simply broaching the subject of the trio formerly known as the Dixie Chicks, it really dissuades one from wanting to start the conversation at all, like speaking politics in mixed company. Even mentioning the name stimulates either jeers and moans, or blind approval and allyship, all based off of factors that have decidedly nothing to do with actual music. Oh, and now we get to devolve into further tangents about the efficacy and motivations behind them changing their name. What joy.
But beyond the history of this band, or the way many fans and media like to use them for what is tantamount to performative art and signaling for social media, there’s actually an album of music out there to regard, and one that happens to be their first original effort in 14 years. But before we get too in depth into the content, let’s lay down a few things that are both patently obvious, and critically important when regarding this new album, Gaslighter.
1) This album is not country. And no, this is not necessarily a criticism or a rebuke of the music on the album itself coming from country “purists” insisting upon strict adherence to the genre. When it comes to the Dixie Chicks, that ship sailed long ago. Was their comeback record with Rick Rubin in 2006 a country joint? No, not really. Was the Natalie Maines solo record? Nope. This one just nails that coffin shut. In fact, this record likely never gets made if anyone insisted it sound country.
As Maines said rather explosively back in 2013, she never even liked country music, and one of the reasons a new Chicks album didn’t materialize earlier is due to not wanting to broach difficult discussions on genre between the trio. Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer were always bluegrass-inspired country musicians. According to Maines, she never was, and simply played the part. Maines has always been sort of the matriarch of the trio. So where she goes, The Chicks go.
But the most important reason to underscore genre is to emphasize once again that it’s not country music that is not ready to make nice with The Chicks, it’s vice versa. The country community is so ready to bury the hatchet and move on from past mistakes, The Chicks were the centerpiece of the 50th Annual CMA Awards in 2016. Country music has its arms stretched out wide, and all The Chicks had to do was make something even just hinting of or adjacent to country to meet that embrace. But apparently, Natalie Maines is not interested.
2) This is a Natalie Maines record. It’s The Chicks in name only. This was the hypothesis that slowly formed from the early hints and songs released from Gaslighter, and listening through the record not only validates this, it underscores it and puts a big fat exclamation point at the end. Gaslighter is all about the breakup of Natalie Maines from actor and husband Adrian Pasdar from bow to stern, and the rest of the boat in between. Maybe some minor interludes make it in here and there, but none that stray from the thematic axis that define Gaslighter‘s core. Again, this is not a criticism necessarily, just an immutable observation.
3) Producer Jack Antonoff is the 2nd most important figure on Gaslighter. Not only is he credited as producer, Antonoff walks away with 9 songwriting credits, and a total of 73 separate instrumental and programming contributions. He is featured far more on the record than Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer combined. By pulling the all-too-common pop producer ruse of insisting upon songwriting credits for compositions, it robs creators of both revenue and artistic valuation, while the way this record came together is downgrading to The Chicks as a collaborative trio of empowered and inspiring women in music who play their own instruments. It’s not that Maguire and Stray contributed nothing. But they should have been featured significantly more, and not have been forced to take a back seat to Antonoff.
Whether Jack Antonoff’s involvement in this record should be considered quality or subpar is the realm of those more qualified to rule on pop music instead of country. But the assuaging of melody for rhythmic bits looped and filtered through 1’s and 0’s once again insults the beauty and uniqueness that made The Chicks so valuable and important in their heyday. Antonoff’s heavy hand once again emphasizes how Gaslighter is a Natalie Maines solo record made by a pop producer, and that’s what you should expect.
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But shove all of those worthy concerns and criticisms aside, and believe it or not, Gaslighter actually impresses in one turn after another, and surprisingly so after the initial songs released ahead of the record felt so acrid, angry, and disappointing. Frankly, it’s stunning how much Maines is able to open up about such severely personal matters, put emotions and moments into words, and do what she rarely does through her often thorny public persona—show vulnerability, fear, and doubt, and even a measure of forgiveness to go along with venting anger at what are revealed the be very valid frustrations.
Gaslighter is so centered around the split from Natalie’s ex-husband, it may even be fair to characterize the record as conceptualized in the way the story unfolds in chronological order. Maybe you start with some cursory knowledge that Maines divorced her husband a few years ago, but you end up by the conclusion with every major detail of the relationship arc, from meeting him at the wedding of Emily Erwin and Charlie Robison in 1999, to how Maines moved to California to help forward his acting career, then spent nearly 20 years together raising children, to what we’ll just call the “boat” incident, where articles of clothing—including a pair of tights that get their own song—reveal the infidelity that eventually doomed the relationship.
Maines even goes into details like meeting the adulterer before the affair, and then having a conversation with the adulterer’s husband on the phone. Yes, awkward, and crazy. But as Maines says, it’s sad when you have two boys to raise, and you realize how all of this will affect them.
Of course, there’s two sides to every story. But you only need to make it halfway through Gaslighter before you find the anger found on the early tracks released from the record as justified, while empathy and a sincere connection with the story swells in the listener, facilitated not just by the saucy and seductive specifics Maines shares, but the smartness and genuineness of the songwriting in numerous turns.
The aftermath of the marriage might be where Gaslighter becomes its most emotional and resonant. Natalie explaining to her son just as he comes of age about the sins of his father in “Young Man,” then the reluctant, but reasoning moments when you know a relationship is over in “Hope It’s Something Good,” or the pleadings in “Set Me Free” to allow the split to be finalized via the divorce papers, it’s all laid out here, and in inspired lyrical eloquence.
Though the Jack Antonoff production is easy and fair to second guess, you’re also pleasantly surprised at the level of straightforwardness, and roots-based intimacy in moments, especially in the final songs on the record where Antonoff gets out of the way, and lets Maines tell her story, and convey the emotions of heavy moments without all the meeps, tings, and clicks looping around in the background, distracting you from the narrative in the foreground.
Where Gaslighter most falters is when it veers of the Natalie Maines divorce script. “March March” is sort of the de facto political song on the record, though it has some ties to the greater narrative. Not only is it the low point for the Antonoff production (even though it features the most instrumentation from Maguire and Strayer as any track), it struggles to make its point. “Everybody Loves You” might be one of the best performances from Maines on the record, and one of the most rootsy. But it’s also the only song she and the rest of the trio didn’t write, making it feel a little orphaned in the chronology and plot. And though the harmonies of the trio have their moments like in “Hope It’s Something Good,” it’s so little compared to what it should be. There’s ample opportunity to let all three women shine, and it’s rarely taken.
And it’s a shame that such an inspired and well-written effort is wasted on a very spotty production performance with little semblance to country. What is a better subject matter for a major country music comeback record than a scandalous divorce? Many of the songs of Gaslighter are country songs, they’re just rendered otherwise by Antonoff.
But country music has just as much itself to blame as Natalie Maines and The Chicks for how things turned out. In that relationship, country was the one leaving their pants on the boat. But as Gaslighter concludes with Maines requesting an apology from her once husband, it’s frustrating and disappointing she seems to take no interest in accepting the one coming from country music. It’s a shame, because Gaslighter the country version could have been great. And it still is pretty great for what it is, which is adult contemporary pop.
Many will hate this record because it’s not country. Many will hate it for what Natalie Maines said some 17 years ago now, and turned out to be right about. And most of the media has already overlooked what makes Gaslighter so important as they look to re-litigate past grievances and compose politically-tinged click bait headlines, missing the message of the music. And everyone should miss Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer not making more meaningful contributions, though they are given co-writes on most of the compositions.
But put all the baggage aside and Gaslighter is a good, inspired, well-written, and moderately-produced pop record for adults. It’s probably unfair to judge it as country because it isn’t. But as music, it’s better than most of the pop out there, and better than much of the women-fronted pop that ends up on country radio. Because ultimately, music is a about telling stories in compelling ways that connect with us. And despite all its flaws, Gaslighter accomplishes this, and better than most.
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3.5/10 (as a country record)
7.5/10 (as a pop record)
Marcel Ledbetter
July 20, 2020 @ 8:45 am
Check out The Boomswagglers! Album of the year!
Barstool Hero
July 20, 2020 @ 8:59 am
Listening now! Thank you for the recommendation. Shame I had to read through an album review about a record I don’t care to hear to find this buried treasure. 2 songs in and both are GREAT!
Billy Wayne Ruddick
July 20, 2020 @ 1:08 pm
I hear their drummer is a real crazy MoFo! 🤪
Dewey Essex
July 20, 2020 @ 2:01 pm
Love the Boonswagglers album – who are they, where did they come from?
Marcel Ledbetter
July 20, 2020 @ 2:38 pm
Ask Trig!
Jake Cutter
July 20, 2020 @ 4:58 pm
Either he signed an NDA or something, or he’s just too damn principled to self promote.
in Triggs blog Dale pays no rent in Triggs blog Dale pays no rent
July 20, 2020 @ 3:21 pm
nattallys daddy shudda pulled out
Grant
July 20, 2020 @ 8:49 am
Man, I don’t envy your job at all these days. Thanks for turning in this review, as I probably would have passed on this album all together and missed out on some potentially good music as a result.
After reading this, I think I’ll give it a shot, nice to I know what I’m walking in to.
Will Niram
July 20, 2020 @ 8:55 am
The last 3 songs (Young Man, Hope It’s Something Good, Set Me Free) are sublime and perfectly ordered in bringing what largely is a barn burner to an emotional end.
Trigger
July 20, 2020 @ 9:06 am
Some, maybe many will come to their conclusions about this record before getting to those final three songs, which is a shame. This should be approached as a concept record, with all the songs equaling something greater than the sum of their parts, and the final three really driving home the story and securing that emotional connection. It’s messy along the way, but it sticks the landing.
Kevin Wortman
July 20, 2020 @ 8:55 am
The little fat one is annoying
Rooster Cruiser
July 20, 2020 @ 11:17 am
You’re a snowflake.
Who cares
July 20, 2020 @ 11:47 am
Seems you just managed to leave a reply before melting yourself 🙂
A
July 23, 2020 @ 1:05 am
I’m just glad you spelled “you’re” correctly.
MH
July 20, 2020 @ 8:58 am
In before “thegentile” accuses you have having “an axe to grind.”
thegentile
July 20, 2020 @ 9:22 am
any comment that doesn’t fit the hive mind really gets you snowflakes melting huh.
Who cares
July 20, 2020 @ 11:45 am
You belong to another hive 🙂
RD
July 20, 2020 @ 9:04 am
I didn’t know they had hired Robert Palmer to front the band.
Who cares
July 20, 2020 @ 11:56 am
Robert Palmer did addicted to love & then we got Shania Twain i feel like a women. Suppose that’s a few things NM does not have to worry about.
jim bob
July 20, 2020 @ 12:08 pm
because he is simply irresistible
glendel
July 20, 2020 @ 9:12 am
Do they still use David Grissom on lead guitar on this? He was the most incendiary part of Joe Ely’s band, and brought that power to prior Dixie Chicks album.
Trigger
July 20, 2020 @ 12:50 pm
David Grissom? Lead guitar?
No.
Though surprisingly, Lloyd Maines (Natalie’s father, for those who don’t know), is credited on a few tracks with steel guitar. Good luck picking it out of the mix.
KGD
August 8, 2020 @ 3:18 pm
They’ve said some things I disagree with.
They’ve made some music I love
Bruce Robison calls Natalie Maines a friend
Traveling Soldier is played multiple times every Memorial Day
The rest is just noise. Leave the cancel culture to the d-bags on the left.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 20, 2020 @ 9:14 am
FREE THE ERWIN SISTERS!
As someone who loves Taking the Long Way, and knows the words to most songs on that record…I’d like this album a lot more if Maines had been honest about it being a solo pop record.
Bill451
July 21, 2020 @ 6:56 pm
Honestly listen to the album. It’s easy to say it’s Natalies but all have been thru divorce so it rings true for all of them. Furthermore, the sisters shine brightly on this album the more you listen to it.
thegentile
July 20, 2020 @ 9:18 am
jack antonoff is not a good producer.
Black Boots
July 20, 2020 @ 11:09 am
His records with Lana Del Rey, St Vincent, Lorde, and others tell a different story than that, but I’m sure you haven’t heard them.
thegentile
July 20, 2020 @ 11:22 am
well that’s an awful lot of assumption based on nothing. i’ve given del rey a fair shake and sort of liked ultraviolence. but norman fucking rockwell is a snoozefest. i don’t care much for lorde’s affected style of singing, but i have heard it. as far as st. vincent, it’s definitely her worst album. the song “pills” is atrocious.
it might come down to what people prefer in producers. if you work with jack antonoff you will make a record with jack antonoff and he will write songs and it will sound like a jack antonoff record with a new singer.
i prefer a producer like steve albini who captures what a band actually has going on because that is far more interesting. this type of producer may offer suggestions, but they aren’t the driving force.
Jake Cutter
July 20, 2020 @ 12:00 pm
A band that would chose Albini has to have their shit together, because he isnt a producer, he’s an engineer, and refuses to play that roll. Bands that chose him typically care a great deal about their art and want it to sound good, not necessarily just sell. When someone chooses a producer like Antonoff I’d say there’s more than a fair chance they a) Care disproportionally more about success than their art and b) Aren’t bringing enough to the table themselves, and think a “hit maker” guy co-writing with them and shaping their “sound” will make up for it. None of those records Black Boots is mentioning live up to the hype, and sound more like products than well recorded artists, IMO. This one certainly does.
thegentile
July 20, 2020 @ 12:01 pm
are we agreeing? jake? is this our breakthrough moment?
Jake Cutter
July 20, 2020 @ 12:32 pm
Oh but we’ve had so many 😆
Cool Lester Smooth
July 20, 2020 @ 12:44 pm
It is always worth noting that the Chicks aren’t songwriters, by training or inclination.
Black Boots
July 20, 2020 @ 1:16 pm
Jake, to assume people work with Jack because they care more about success then their art is kind of hilarious since he doesn’t really produce “hit” songs at all. He makes albums with his friends only. A silly assumption. It’s not like he’s Max Martin or Dr. Luke.
Black Boots
July 20, 2020 @ 1:19 pm
Well, i apologize for assuming, but it wasn’t based on nothing. Most people here don’t really listen to stuff other than mainly country from the looks of the comments and seeing how people talk about other genres and artists here. That said, i think you’re very wrong, but hey, that’s life. I’m not saying Jack is the best producer in the world, (and he also doesn’t write the albums, but some co-writes for sure) but he gets great sounds and makes records with his friends.
Man, you should really give NFR another shot. One of the best records in years.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 20, 2020 @ 3:01 pm
Antonoff has a co-write on 9 of the 12 songs, and it’s a dramatic departure from their previous 4 records (with the Erwins being very clearly sidelined).
I think it’s very fair to say that he and his songwriting team played a major role in writing this album, especially given that the Chicks aren’t particularly experienced songwriters themselves.
It’s definitely not a bad sound, I LOVE the last three songs, but it’s not their sound.
For my blood, a producer’s job is to help a band or artist sound as much like themselves as possible.
Euro South
July 20, 2020 @ 4:18 pm
Oh come on, Albini’s production makes Nirvana and Songs: Ohia sound the same (though this is for the benefit of the latter). And NFR is a fantastic record.
thegentile
July 20, 2020 @ 4:22 pm
NFR is subjective (still in the snoozer camp) but the production on in utero sounds like a jason molina? you oh come on.
Black Boots
July 20, 2020 @ 4:51 pm
Kurt’s airtight songs made Nirvana.
Euro South
July 20, 2020 @ 4:53 pm
Compare the sound on, e.g., Didn’t It Rain to the sound on The Magnolia Electric Co. and then compare that to In Utero. You can just listen to “Heart-Shaped Box” and “Farewell Transmission” one after the other. And like I said, I think Albini’s production does infinite amounts of good to Songs: Ohia. The point is that Albini as a producer is also of “one sound shall fit them all” variety. It just happens to be the sound you like (as I do as well).
Jake Cutter
July 20, 2020 @ 4:54 pm
If by sounds the same you mean they both sound like actual bands where instruments sound like actual instruments, then yes, absolutely. People aren’t used to hearing dynamics and natural sounding music anymore, so perhaps that STYLE does have some similarities, but other than that…..no.
thegentile
July 20, 2020 @ 5:41 pm
albini may have recorded “heart shaped box” but his mix didn’t make it to the album.
thegentile
July 20, 2020 @ 5:46 pm
also, compare one of the will oldham records albini cut compared molina, much more similar instrumentation. pretty different outcomes.
Portercat
July 21, 2020 @ 7:47 am
They were already free as Court Yard Hounds
Adam S
July 20, 2020 @ 9:22 am
Incredibly written review, Trigger. You can get a lot of shit from people here for perceived biases, but this was a very well balanced article that addresses legitimate issues and thoroughly examines the music. Props.
JK
July 20, 2020 @ 9:25 am
“There’s ample opportunity to let all three women shine, and it’s rarely taken.”
I do agree here. There’s something about releasing an album by a band where one member’s primarily a fiddle player, and the other a banjoist, and then being coy in the use of either instrument, that I find slightly frustrating. It’s telling that the material’s strongest where a sense of genuine synthesis is felt between the band as a band.
Rickie Jon Connors
July 20, 2020 @ 2:36 pm
I’m a big fan of the (Dixie) Chicks and look forward to hearing this one, whether it’s country or not. What disappoints me is that they didn’t do more with their moment. To not release a record in 14 years seems unfathomable. Perhaps they were just burnt out on all the visceral hatred directed their way, which I can understand.
(Also, the band name Chicks is taken. It was an Irish teen punk band in the late 90s. I hope this doesn’t descend into a Lady A style shitshow).
From "The Chicks" NZ band
July 20, 2020 @ 5:30 pm
It was headline news in New Zealand in June – that they have asked a NZ band called “The Chicks” permission to use the name. It was on peak hour TV news and in newspapers. From NZ Herald:
Suzanne Lynch tells the NZ Herald about the moment she received the “strange” request. After all, they’d had the band name more than half a century. She was just 14 years old when she began touring with her sister who was 17 at the time.
“With everything that’s going on in the US at the moment, they wanted to change to The Chicks, and they were nice enough to get in touch,” she says.
However, despite being contacted by the band’s lawyers and having “always” been a fan of The Dixie Chicks, Lynch admits it wasn’t an easy decision.
Jake Cutter
July 20, 2020 @ 9:33 am
I think this is really well written and thought out. I appreciate the open mindedness and I myself like some pop music and certainly am open to any kind of music. The previous released songs were pretty bad, these seem ok but not great, so I guess I’m asking myself, with my unlimited jukebox of the world, why I would spend time listening to this? I guess I also don’t want to hear the public request for an apology either, from someone whose whole artistic past was “playing a part,” at the current moment in time. That concept itself fascinates me…but hey people fell for it and she got money so, yass queen!
albert
July 21, 2020 @ 12:16 am
ditto …..almost , jake . trigger nails it in terms of his mission : reviewing a record .
not country …..fine . I listen to a lot of ‘ not country’ .
I’ve heard 5 tracks from this record now and I’ve heard enough . I can’t find ME in these songs ..gonna guess not many of us can …….. but I can in a lot of other pop songs . I’m there in LOTS of country songs too..even the shitty ones ….I’m in there even if its just a shallow version of me ….I can find me . so it will be easy for me to forget the songs I’ve heard . and again , unless you are a DC or more specifically a Natalie Maines freak/fanatic it will be easy for YOU to forget them too cuz there’s a lack of attention to strong melody and good honest hooks ….a trademark of the DC catalogue . if you can’t write a STRONG memorable timeless hook and your producer can’t either …here’s a thought : Go get one of a million songwriters out there who CAN !
if you accept that contemporary pop music ( and most lamestream ‘country’ music ) is disposable then as a casual listener I’m guessing you’ll accept these songs on that basis . if there is airplay at all , its likely because of the band name/names .
NM just seems to have her own agenda . and it has nothing to do , apparently , with the life , the experiences , the creativity or the musical talents and input of the other 2/3 of this trio .
maybe those other chicks are just lazy ? I dunno . I liked it better when they ALL showed up .
Jake Cutter
July 21, 2020 @ 10:02 am
Good points.
PJ
July 21, 2020 @ 11:29 am
I agree that the songwriting is not the strongest. I mean, knowing the backstory of this album (cheating/breakup/divorce), one can piece together the scenario that’s being told with the songs collectively. But the details laid out are a little too specific, IMO, to be able to take these songs to heart and find some common ground, for most people anyway. And I do wonder if the sisters had any private thoughts about their talents being utilized so little in this collection. More of their vocal harmonies and instruments would have been nice…since this is a “group” album, right?
Bill451
July 21, 2020 @ 7:02 pm
You should listen to the whole album several times. It’s a grower. With each listen you can hear the sisters and all they deliver to make this a great record. Lyrically Young Man is a standout. Overall, it’s a great record. And regardless of what the reviewer says, country will not give them a fair shake. The comments from people are still horrendous over an innocuous comment 17 years ago.
albert
July 21, 2020 @ 11:55 pm
One thing I’ve learned about songs/albums over the years is that they will almost all grow on you given the chance . this doesn’t make these are great albums . it just indicates that , as radio knows only too well , if you play a song at people long enough , many of those people ,if not most , will confuse familiarity with ‘liking’ something . Its what makes the WORST radio or TV jingle successful in selling a product . repetition . they just keep bombarding us with it until we scream ‘ uncle ‘ and don’t change the station AND go out and by the product its promoting .
If you are blown away by an album on the first listen that’s usually a sign of good crafting , strong melodies and/or lyrics that resonate with you. if it takes a dozen listens its more like convincing a 4 year old that broccoli isn’t just good for you but it TASTES good . acquired taste through constant exposure is what labels and artists rely on .
I’m happy you like the record , as I’m sure many Chicks fans will ….in part because they are Chick’s fans . period . I like to be engaged from the first listen . that’s my litmus test for whether a record is worth my attention .
Jake Cutter
July 23, 2020 @ 8:45 am
That’s interesting albert. I too like when something hits me right away, but at the same time, some of my favorite albums were growers and I didn’t like them at first. I don’t think it was merely the repetition that forced me to like them, more that their hooks were deeper and less immediately familiar sounding. I don’t think Trigger would review an album after just one listen. Personally I have room for both.
Warthog
July 20, 2020 @ 9:46 am
I was really disappointed that this turned out to be a solo album. I think when Martie, Emily and Natalie are firing on all cylinders, something truly magic happens. A friend of mine asked for my thoughts on the record and I told him, “Jack Antonoff has no fucking clue what to do with a fiddle or a banjo.”
That being said, I really enjoyed “Sleep at Night,” and it’s become my favorite off the album. And I think the last two or three tracks sound the most Chicks out of everything here, even if they’re not up to their usual quality.
Overall, I doubt I’ll be adding the CD to my collection, but I’ll cherry pick some tracks off iTunes.
MH
July 20, 2020 @ 9:47 am
And just like that, with the speed of an East Nashville social justice warrior gravitating toward a virtue signaling spotlight illuminating the Middle Tennessee night sky, so enters “thegentile.”
thegentile
July 20, 2020 @ 10:39 am
and just like that, with the speed of a turd flying into the fan they are using to cool themselves, MH uses the reply function incorrectly and posts into the ether.
Trigger
July 20, 2020 @ 10:41 am
This issue is contentious enough. Let’s please stay on topic and not resort to dumb back and forths. Thank you.
Paddy
July 21, 2020 @ 6:57 am
But then it would be all too serious and no fun.
Who cares
July 20, 2020 @ 11:51 am
If you squeeze your butt cheeks just right, you can accelerate that turd. Unfortunately if you squeeze too much, you just become full of…eerrrr ahem. Love and happiness to all mankind!
Felipe
July 20, 2020 @ 9:55 am
There are some misleading pieces of information in the beginning, like Natalie Maines having more than one solo record and the idea that they were actually asked to perform at the CMA Awards, when in fact Beyoncé was and then invited the group to join her.
As for the facts, I don’t necessarily think it’s anyone’s fault if people were expecting a country album, given what Maines has voiced for so long and all the controversy. I kind of understand the frustration but that comes more from expectations than any hint from the group whatsoever (and also label strategies and stuff, but anyway. Secondly, Emily and Martie have talked a lot about how they feel about the group and how much they support Maines, so to imply they had no choice, opinion, or decision on how to handle the project is a little demeaning to their artistry and role as band members. And that’s what they are, band members, not only instrumentists. The band’s dynamics and MO are to be dealt with by the band and the band alone.
The review follows the expectation of a hardcore country, which I still think it’s a little naive, but I think it does a good job after all.
(P.S: There are already some short comments mocking them and their appearance, but sadly no requests for those people to engage in substantial conversations. Interesting.)
Trigger
July 20, 2020 @ 10:36 am
The count on the Natalie Maines solo records was a typo, and has been corrected.
I very specifically chose my worse carefully when it came to the Dixie Chicks performance on the 50th Annual CMA Awards. What I said was, “The Chicks were the centerpiece of the 50th Annual CMA Awards in 2016.” This is 100% true. I am aware of some of the reports saying they were not invited, and were there solely at the behest of Beyonce. But I have also heard from people who insist the original idea from the CMA producers was to feature “Daddy Lessons” and have The Chicks perform it with Beyonce since The Chicks were on tour at that time, and had been covering the song. However, they wanted to have Beyonce sign off on the idea as opposed to tell her what they wanted her to perform, and with who. If Beyonce had turned the idea down, The Chicks would have not been asked. But Beyonce approved, and they were invited. So it MIGHT be a little false revisionist history to act like it was all Beyonce’s idea, and the CMA wanted nothing to do with The Chicks. They did want The Chicks. But they put the ball in Beyonce’s court, since she was gracious enough to play a country awards show in the first place.
I’m not in a position to know the ultimate truth on the CMA matter, but seeing how the entire marketing around this record has been to almost solely focused on the victimhood of the Chicks as opposed to the music on the album—and them performing on the CMAs is a fly in that ointment—I’m not surprised that moment is being discounted, similar how Beyonce’s performance has been regularly overlooked or discounted.
But regardless, the underlying point is The CMA, most all country music journalists, most all country music performers, and the majority of country music fans see what happened to The Chicks as embarrassing, and want to “make nice.” The fact that they’re using country music as this big evil entity that wouldn’t invite The Chicks back in with open arms if they chose to make a country record is patently incorrect and disingenuous, even if it makes for good marketing. I have read 20-something features on The Chicks and the new album, and not a single one has pointed out that this album follows the divorce of Natalie Maines chronologically, which is the biggest takeaway from the record. They all focus on politics, and evil country music. This is a fundamental disrespect to the creative efforts captured on “Gaslighter.”
(P.S.: I don’t feed trolls. I engage in substantial conversations like this one.)
Fuzzy TwoShirts
July 21, 2020 @ 11:50 am
Well speaking for this “Country” fan
I don’t want to make nice with the Chicks, I want to rescind their awards, disavow their contributions to the genre, and basically purge their collective existence from any Country Music discussion
Not because of the Iraq war thing
Becase Natalie Maines went public saying she didn’t like Country Music
And that for me means that she rejects all the awards, and all the money she made.
If I said “I hate my job,” my boss would say “you’re fired.”
Remember that Buck Owens pledge
“I will sing no song that isn’t a Country song, I will make no record that isn’t a Country record.”
So no, no one who actually cares about Country Music wants to make nice
everyone who cares about Country Music proper
And I mean real Country Music, not whatever Sturgill, Isbell, Stapleton and Cody Jinks are doing (I love all four of those guys but they aren’t true Country Music the way Faron Young and George Jones did it)
Everyone who truly cares about Country Music expects the genre loyalty that Buck Owens had, and refuses to “make nice” with people who are essentially taking advantage of Country Music
When the awards are returned, then we can talk forgiveness
Cool Lester Smooth
July 20, 2020 @ 10:48 am
I mean…the biggest issue with the album is pretty firmly that it’s not really a record “by the band” it’s Natalie Maines and Friends.
Jake Cutter
July 20, 2020 @ 10:53 am
Not ironic at all:
Cambridge dictionary: “substantial” adjective (LARGE)
Justin C
July 20, 2020 @ 10:13 am
Just for reference , what do you consider 9/10 or 10/10 pop record? (I thought Taylor Swift 1989 was a 9/10, you did review it I’ll have to go back and check out that review)
Trigger
July 20, 2020 @ 10:46 am
I am not qualified to grade pop music because I’m not versed enough in the trends or peer examples. I didn’t want to grade this album at all, but I knew this would only result in howls and complaints. So I did the best I could to convey that if you’re a country fan exclusively, you’re going to be mostly disappointed. But if your a pop or general music fan, you will find some significant value here, despite the burden of the Jack Anotonoff production.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
July 20, 2020 @ 10:58 am
If it’s not a country record, and you didn’t want to do it, who cares what the trolls think?
CountryKnight
July 20, 2020 @ 10:22 am
They sucked then and they suck now.Now they are nothing more than a patsy for woke journalists. And Natalie wasn’t right in her comments. Time proved nothing.
Like most secular martyrs, their act of martyrdom inflates the talent beyond what it deserves. See Lennon, JFK, RFK, etc.
For those like The Dixie Chicks, enjoy.
Hey Arnold
July 20, 2020 @ 10:33 am
So in other words, they peaked from 1997-2000
Cool Lester Smooth
July 20, 2020 @ 10:50 am
Home came out in 2002, and might be their best record.
wayne
July 20, 2020 @ 10:43 am
“1) This album is not country”
Then I am wondering why it is reviewed here since this is a Saving Country Music website?
Not my call obviously. I cannot comment further as I did not waste my time reading this article because of the subject matter.
Brandon E.
July 20, 2020 @ 11:22 am
I’d imagine because the album comes from one of the greatest country music groups in the history of the genre. Fine if anyone disagrees, but that’s the general consensus of anyone not assuaged by politics or other non-musical factors.
Jake Cutter
July 20, 2020 @ 11:40 am
In actual settled scientific fact, there’s a 97% consensus that they are among the “greatest country music groups in the history of the genre.” wayne is just a skeptic on someone’s payroll, obvs.
wayne
July 20, 2020 @ 11:58 am
I am paid well but not for reasons you think.
Who cares
July 20, 2020 @ 12:02 pm
Erwin Rommel was amongst some of the the greatest modern generals of all time! shame about the side he was on….
Though we should always respect talent by documenting and archiving it accordingly. 🙂
Cool Lester Smooth
July 20, 2020 @ 12:10 pm
…that unironically seems about right.
Those first three albums with Maines are stone cold classics of the form, from front to back.
Taking the Long Way is a little more on the rock/Americana side, but it’s fucking fantastic, as well.
This one is fine…but it’s not a Chicks album.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
July 20, 2020 @ 12:15 pm
Brandon:
I’ve gotta weigh in here.
There’s no way anyone informed about Country Music would rank the whatever they wanna call themselves these days chicks even in the top five Country music groups
Most people would probably call he Statler Brothers number one (unless they wanted to call them a gospel group)
The remaining four slots are a slugfest between Diamond Rio, the Oak Ridge Boys, Brooks & Dunn and Alabama.
Now I’m generously exluding groups like Flatt and Scruggs, who were technically bluegrass by purist standards even tho in this discussion they’d not only be Country, they’d be a hell of a lot more important than these three girls.
That’s not including groups behind a famous name “The Charlie Daniels Band.”
Actually, I’ll revise my answer and eject Alabama from this list to put the CDB at the top.
Also I’ve excluded the Highwaymen since they were all established superstars before the group
The Chicks are an insignificant footnote at the end of a genre with a history of stars who have shaped the American subconscious, like the CDB and the Statler brothers (who contributed so much to the Johnny Cash experience that they deserve to share the glory of his world altering stardom)
and the Chicks arrived after the Genre had started to wane.
Yes, Wane
There have been few, precious few culture-changing stars since the eighties, and those that have come have paled compared to the massive bygone stars
Basically Country Music has come and went, and all that’s left is to erode it away until it no longer exists as a singular entity, the way Jazz went away
and the Chicks don’t matter, they’re a late addition to a genre that effectively passed away in the eighties and is currently just a name being used to drawback to the glory days when Country stars mattered.
The CDB the chicks are not
They aren’t even fit to be Diamond Rio’s roadies
Brandon E.
July 20, 2020 @ 1:01 pm
When I said “one of the greatest country music groups in the history of the genre”, I was thinking that “greatest” would include well more than five groups. If you consider how many thousands of country music groups there’s surely been since the 1920s, I’d say a list of the greatest would have to include 25-50. And I don’t think there’s any reasonable doubt that the former Dixie Chicks would make that list.
The Carter Family would probably be placed at number one.
Diamond Rio?? Didn’t see that coming.
Brooks & Dunn are a duo.
The rest of your comment can really only be justified if your opinions are based solely on listening to radio “country”.
ha-ha-ha-aroni
July 20, 2020 @ 1:03 pm
Don’t forget Shenandoah, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Sawyer Brown, Restless Heart, Exile, and many others
Brandon E.
July 20, 2020 @ 1:21 pm
Based on Rolling Stone Country’s Greatest Country Artists of All Time (which I think is a great list):
1. The Carter Family
2. Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
3. The former Dixie Chicks
4. Asleep at the Wheel
5. Alabama
I understand if you don’t give that list much credence due to most of the crap they put out, but I think they did a good job on it.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
July 20, 2020 @ 2:57 pm
Bob Wills is Western, in a purist sense he doesn’t get on this list.
I’ll give you Asleep at the Wheel even tho I might not agree.
Rolling Stone made a list of great guitarists and somehow the top 5 WASN’T Chet Atkins, Roy Clark, Takeshi Terauchi, Leadbelly and Les Paul, so they don’t know much at all.
Black Boots
July 20, 2020 @ 5:00 pm
“Most people would probably call the Statler Brothers number one”
I love that you think this is fact. Most people haven’t even HEARD of them.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
July 21, 2020 @ 11:59 am
Boots:
Most “Country” fans know about, and LOVE the Statler brothers
People who don’t are either passing, casual fans whose opinions shouldn’t be taken too seriously (the same way somebody who watched one Terminator movie back in the eighties shouldn’t be taken as seriously as someone who read the comics, watched all the movies and the Sarah Connor Chronicles)
And as far as I see it, there’s a lot of people who say they like Country Music, but they just like something else
The people who love Cody Jinks aren’t the same people who like Vern Gosdin and Faron Young
And I like all of those
But Id listen to Faron Young before I’d listen to Cody Jinks
and calling Cody Jinks country is at least in my mind as much a stretch as calling Jason Isbell Country
I think Foo Fighters and Led Zeppelin sound more alike than Faron Young and Cody Jinks
so when I mean “Country Music” I specifically refer to the sound of the late forties, the fifties, and the sixties up through about 1978-79″ with “Country Music” effectively being off the market by 1985
and the stuff after isn’t entirely Country Music
It’s “inspired by” Country Music
and some of it is REALLY good (I’m quite fond of Clinton Gregory)
but let’s not pretend that Cody Jinks and Faron Young belong in the same discussion
And in a proper Country Music discussion, most people will be in agreement that the Statler Brothers are quite possibly the best group.
This is also the reason i was reticent to add CDB to the list, because they’re not “straight honest to God Country Music” any more than Chris Stapleton is
Basically, if it doesn’t sound like it came off the WSM show in the fifties that comes on TV every saturday night
It’s not “real” Country Music
It’s “Country-lite” or “almost-Country” or “Country-esque”
Eric
July 20, 2020 @ 5:02 pm
I have been checking out Charlie Daniels’s songs over the last few days. He was a very talented musician, but not really country. Even his most country songs were melodically more blues than traditional country, similar to Hank Jr’s “Country Boy Can Survive”.
The Dixie Chicks were far more country in their heyday. I would argue that they made some of the best country songs of the late 90s/early 00s, like “Wide Open Spaces” and “Travelin Soldier”.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
July 20, 2020 @ 7:42 pm
Eric:
The Chicks may have been “Country” by the standards of the nineties
But the most traditional artist of the nineties were still far removed from the peak of Country Music in the sixties.
Eric
July 20, 2020 @ 9:57 pm
I would divide the 90s into 2 segments: early and late. Country music in the early 90s was thoroughly traditional, dominated by artists like Alan Jackson, Clint Black, Travis Tritt, Tracy Lawrence, George Strait, Patty Loveless, Garth Brooks (in his early form), etc. At a sheer instrumental level, country in the late 80s/early 90s was in the second traditional era, more connected to its roots than at any time since the mid 50s. Honestly, when I look at the Billboard top country singles from 1990, for example, I am shocked at how high-quality the songs on country radio used to be then.
By the late 90s, however, the rock domination of country had clearly taken hold, driven by Garth and then Shania Twain. Throughout that period, though, the Dixie Chicks provided a bulwark for traditional country, using fiddle, steel, mandolin, and soft drums as their mainstays instead of electric guitars and hard drums.
Acca Dacca
July 22, 2020 @ 8:17 pm
Agreed across the board, Eric. I think the neotraditional country of the ’90s largely suffers due to the way it started to go bad towards the end of the decade. Hell, even the early aughts had more actual country music on display than most purists would admit (amongst the pop country), it just didn’t sound like it was from 1957.
Acca Dacca
July 22, 2020 @ 8:13 pm
Fuzzy, all of your points notwithstanding, you’ve always struck me as especially nostalgic for an era that you didn’t experience (and neither did I, if I’m being honest). You’re entitled to your perspective, but sometimes I just can’t wrap my head around it. Purist this, purist that: bluegrass is a subgenre of country music, and if we’re being honest the label started out as marketing. Western music is also very much in that same wheelhouse, hence why the genre was regularly referred to as country AND WESTERN up until a decade or two ago. Ironically, I get labeled as a snob at work because I openly call bullshit on people my age telling me that “Old Town Road” and “Meant to Be” are country songs. But I’m positively liberal with my opinions compared to you.
Honestly, when speaking of eras there’s a component to the discussion that is rarely brought up: country music has always imitated the popular music of the moment in one way or another. 1960s country music often had a fascination with big band music that I find irritating; you could put Ray Price’s countrypolitan songs on a playlist with Frank Sinatra and barely miss a beat. It’s only in the last decade or two that the music itself has devolved so far into schtick that it’s forgotten where the door is. Up until then, it seemed to me that the concepts of the music were largely consistent, even if the pop influence was not. Some 1970s country music has some funk/disco underpinnings to it, for instance, but it’s still recognizably country in songwriting and composition. Everyone just has a different era that their ear is more naturally drawn to, which is usually correlated to when they reached a certain age or realized they genuinely loved the music itself.
Me, I’ve always been drawn to ’90s country as it’s what I grew up with and largely formed the backbone for what I understand country music to be. And no, I don’t mean Shania Twain, I mean Clint Black, Mark Chesnutt, Alan Jackson, etc. And obviously the holdovers from the previous decade, George Strait and Randy Travis among them, were incredibly important to me. Speaking purely for myself, I would much, MUCH rather listen to neotraditional honky tonk than swelling string sections and all of that crap. But that’s just me.
What ISN’T just me is the idea that country somehow died before the ’90s, which is where I just can’t help but call bullshit. As I write this comment, I’m listening to Johnny Paycheck’s album Slide Off Of Your Satin Sheets from 1977 (one of my favorites of his). I could immediately play a Tracy Byrd album on its heels and they would go together like butter and bread. The excesses and production flourishes of each era would grind against each other a bit, but both are COUNTRY, and that’s the point.
How does this relate to the Dixie Chicks? Well, firstly I think your emotional reaction to Natalie Maines is the only element coloring your perception of their legacy as it’s certainly not their music (that and your nostalgia for country music from before your time). Secondly, while they were never a favorite of mine, I find it hard to discount the country cred of their heyday. Most of their songs certainly have slicker hooks than anything from before the 90s, but not at the expense of the writing and musicianship (as with every other era that tried to be the pop music of its day). Consider all of this a “hot take” if you must.
P.S. If you can listen to “Burn One Down” (from 1992) and think that isn’t stone cold country, I really don’t know what to say.
P.P.S. The 1997 version of “One of These Days” is one of the gut-punchiest songs this side of “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” and for my money is much more relatable, give or take some adult contemporary flourishes.
CountryKnight
July 21, 2020 @ 6:15 am
One of the greatest groups in the genre?
Lay off the crack.
Brandon E.
July 21, 2020 @ 8:54 am
You make it sound so easy.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
July 20, 2020 @ 10:56 am
The fact that a “Country” singer on “Country” radio who got “Country” awards and works with two “Country” musicians that don’t have the self respect to kick her to the curb and loves telling people “I never actually liked “Country” music tells me all I need to know.
She can believe what she wants.
But I hate her guts for taking advantage of my favorite genre of music, the only genre of music I’m meaningfully invested in as anything other than an enthusiast, and the one genre that has historically been a part of my development, belief system, and world experience
and as far as I’m concerned she could sing in Phantom of the Opera, star in a grammy-award-winning Moby Dick motion picture, or even play Trans-Picard in a woke Star Trek adaptation
I don’t effing care.
She shat on Country Music
And she could go out tomorrow and build houses for the poor, rescue horses from abuse, and plant apple trees from Bangor, Maine to the banks of the Rio Grande
and I still wouldn’t care
because Country Music is important to me.
and people who disrespect it while profiteering from it, as far as I’m concerned, deserve no respect from me, I don’t want anything to do with them, and I wouldn’t want them living on my street, in my town or even in my county.
JK
July 20, 2020 @ 11:46 am
I always remember her comment in the 2013 interview that ‘James Taylor can write ‘Fire and Rain’ and tell you it’s about a mental institution, […] and you’re trying to decipher it all. And, you know, a country song would be like [sings twangily], ‘I’m in a mental institution!’ Dolly Parton has a song which indeed opens: ‘In this mental institution, lookin’ out through these iron bars’ – I know which I prefer, and it isn’t James Taylor.
It’s eternally to the credit of Country music that it very rarely produces the kind of self important, air headed artiste (Roger Waters, to give an appropriate example, considering the title track of that 2013 album), with which rock music is so commonly afficted.
the pistolero
July 20, 2020 @ 3:54 pm
I remember hearing that comment and thinking, “She must never have heard John Conlee’s ‘I Don’t Remember Lovin’ You.’”
wayne
July 20, 2020 @ 12:42 pm
Fuzzy,
You have given us a lot to think about.
Eric
July 20, 2020 @ 3:30 pm
You can’t really blame Natalie Maines for her attitude toward country music.
Country music shat on her first. I am a few years older than you, and I can vividly remember the time in 2003 when country fans and radio stations were holding parties to burn Dixie Chicks CDs. I was 13 then, and passionately opposed to the Iraq war. The memories of how poorly much of the country world treated the Dixie Chicks stayed seared in my mind. It delayed my exploration of country music, even through the era when songs I loved like “Live Like You Were Dying” were big on country radio. I didn’t start regularly listening to country music until I discovered Taylor Swift in 2009, by which time enough water had passed under the bridge.
The bottom line is that we should cut Natalie Maines some slack here. This is not some Margo Price or Sturgill Simpson situation, where they are launching unprovoked attacks on country music.
Michelle
July 22, 2020 @ 4:33 am
Yes, there was a lot of press about these “burn Dixie Chicks CD’s” parties, but frankly, by the time this infamous statement was uttered, the Chicks were already living off past hits, and a lot of fans just didn’t care anymore. The group sure milked the publicity, though.
Eric
July 22, 2020 @ 3:14 pm
I disagree with the timing. The Dixie Chicks had won CMA Entertainer of the Year less than 3 years before. They had a major #1 hit with “Travelin Soldier” within the last year. Their cover of Stevie Nicks’s landslide was a crossover hit. After the controversy started, their singles suddenly disappeared from country radio.
They clearly had a bright future ahead, one that was systemically quashed by the country industry.
Acca Dacca
July 20, 2020 @ 8:22 pm
Genuine question: what do you think of Garth Brooks?
Fuzzy Twoshirts
July 21, 2020 @ 6:32 am
Acca:
I actually don’t mind Garth.
He’s an incredible singer with a fetish for smoke lights and spectacle.
But I love songs like “I don’t have to wonder” “wrong about you” “Ireland” “beaches of Cheyenne”
I tend to shut my mouth when the discussion turns to Garth because people either love his singing and his songs
Or hate his love of superstar stage antics
And both are pretty accurate
Acca Dacca
July 22, 2020 @ 7:33 pm
The reason I ask is because I’ve genuinely gotten sick of his insincerity over the years. Love her or hate her, at least Natalie Maines seems to be saying what she actually thinks. Garth is just a persona, to the point that (to quote an associate of mine) he is like an alien trying to seem human. His blatant obsession with his own record sales also leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and he’s the only artist I’ve ever felt like a sucker for supporting (as a comparison, I own every album by Nickelback and I wasn’t a third as embarrassed at the checkout line as I was the last time I purchased something with Garth’s mug on it). Your comment about people profiteering off of country music honestly just reminded me of him (even if he’s never been outwardly disrespectful — that would cut against his carefully cultivated image). You know, authenticity and all, give or take some really good songs he’s put out.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
July 20, 2020 @ 11:04 am
Now, that said, I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve heard off this record
And I personally think the title is telling.
Maines, herself, is a gaslighter. She loves starting shit then playing the victim, then blaming her detractors for being “Rubes, racists and rednecks” when they call her out on her loudmouth and playing the victim behaviors.
She’s simply a toxic person, a Karen whose celebrity status went to her head who probably loves chastising fast food workers and cashiers.
and shame on the Erwin sisters for putting up with her.
Guilty by association. they either secretly condone her bullshit or they’re afraid of standing up to her.
Maines is like Azula from Avatar, and the Erwins are playing Mai and Ty Lee, stuck with her as she tears a path of Country Music desctruction
Kim
July 20, 2020 @ 11:48 am
Your issues are showing. And like many misogynists, you are co-opting the term “Karen” as a way to generally slam women instead of what it actually refers to which is a white woman who weaponizes her whiteness against people of color. Not applicable to Natalie Maines obviously.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
July 20, 2020 @ 12:05 pm
I’m pretty sure Karens inflict their sense of superiority on entry level workers, and that the term has nothing to do with race, so take your bullshit elsewhere.
I’m sure her coffee order is long and condescending, I’m sure she liked her groceries bagged a certain way, her steaks done just right (which is never right unless the waiter showers her with praise) and probably wants to speak with the manager.
I’m surprised we haven’t seen Maines having a meltdown at walmart because the ground beef is overpriced.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 20, 2020 @ 12:22 pm
The term has everything to do with race, haha.
It specifically refers to the type of white woman who calls the cops on someone walking a dog in their own neighborhood, because they “don’t look like they belong.”
Is Maines a cantankerous asshole? You betcha!
That’s different from being “a Karen,” though.
Who cares
July 20, 2020 @ 12:44 pm
What happens if they do a Rachel Dolezal and self declare themselves something else?
How can you be sure these days if someone is a white women? Seems an obsolete way to think, calling someone a Karen and you could end up misidentify them as a white women against there preferred choice.
Who cares
July 20, 2020 @ 12:47 pm
“their” booo
Cool Lester Smooth
July 20, 2020 @ 12:49 pm
That’s…a whole lot of words, champ.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 20, 2020 @ 1:09 pm
Anyway, none of it seems germane to the point that Maines really, really isn’t “A Karen.”
She’s an asshole, but of a completely different type.
Eric
July 20, 2020 @ 3:37 pm
To be fair, “Karen” has a class aspect as well.
I think it refers to an entitled mindset in general (though I do believe that it is somewhat sexist to target this type of criticism only at women).
Fuzzy TwoShirts
July 21, 2020 @ 12:02 pm
Eric and Lester:
When I think of “Karen” i Immediately think
“Church is over, time to harass the server at Denny’s”
“Why won’t you take my expired coupon”
“What do you mean the sale ended? it was on sale last week! I want it at that price! I wanna speak to a manager!”
“I’m the president of a homeowner’s association, I don’t care if there’s other customers in line I’m going first”
It really isn’t about race.
I might be using it incorrectly, but I’ve always heard it in that context
Cool Lester Smooth
July 21, 2020 @ 4:45 pm
Even by that definition, she’s definitely not “a Karen,” though.
She never tries to cloak herself in respectability or privilege or passive-aggression.
She just goes for an overt “Fuck you, I’m out”…as evidenced by this entire record, haha.
Who cares
July 20, 2020 @ 12:16 pm
Excuse me Chairman Kim, strong women do not need to be defended.
Besides, the meaning of words/phrases changes all the time, like Liberal now means communist leaning. 🙂 (mostly j/k)
I think sometimes a little chilled perspective is needed. He was, in his way, supporting 2 members of the band by what he perceives to be a toxic element.
A man can dislike a women based on her perceived character (harsh judgements can be criticised of course), not because she is a women. You can’t reasonably say that Fuzzy ToShi…(I have to stop myself) hates Natalie because she is a women.
Can’t you just refute his comments on the point he makes rather than assassinate the character to avoid that maybe, quite a few people think Natalie is toxic? it’s life, we all see things differently.
Country When Country Wasn't Cool
July 20, 2020 @ 11:18 am
As a fan of the Dixie Chicks and their prior albums as a band, I think I’m going to pass on this one. Country or pop, I don’t want to listen to an entire album of Natalie’s one-sided man-bashing regarding her failed marriage. There are three of them in this group…apparently Natalie felt they had nothing to contribute. Maybe the next one.
Keepin it Country
July 20, 2020 @ 11:32 am
It’s too bad the Dixie Chicks have always made good stuff (well, mostly anyway). I can’t believe the DIXIE chicks arnt making real country anymore. I
Rusty W
July 20, 2020 @ 12:35 pm
The “Dixie Chicks” NEVER made country music. They were pure-pop, all the way. And by the definition given in “Hank III:16”: “Pop country really sucks!”
Trigger
July 20, 2020 @ 12:56 pm
The early Dixie Chicks albums are VERY country, string and harmony based, with traditional country lyricism and themes. They even called out modern country in “Long Time Gone” (written by Darrell Scott). Their “Home” album didn’t even feature any real drums.
Brian
July 20, 2020 @ 11:40 am
I am not a fan, I would give it a little less, even as a pop album. I just think that Natalie has a great country music voice, but when she goes towards pop sounding songs, all of her uniqueness gets taken out and her voice does not stand out from the crowd. It just sounds like another good voice, but not one of the genre gold standards, which I think she is when she sings country.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 20, 2020 @ 12:30 pm
100%, this.
albert
July 21, 2020 @ 12:42 am
man …that is a GREAT point brian …a GREAT and overlooked observation .
if you are a REAL artist you need to understand and RESPECT the value , the uniqueness and the marketability of your strengths . when you are chasing trend or dollars , at some point you’ll be trading in those strengths and leaving your potential success in the hands of others . others who , most times, are at least as interested in their OWN agenda and success and not maintaining the artists integrity by way of the artists’ strengths.
NM was a great COUNTRY singer whether she wanted to be or not . THAT was her strength and her uniqueness . her ‘pop’ alias and sound don’t come close to the best pop artists and writers .
618creekrat
July 20, 2020 @ 12:03 pm
Well, the rest of the album sounds interesting enough to stream at least once.
But “March March”? Whatever whatever. That piece sounded like it came from The Harpies.
Paddy
July 20, 2020 @ 12:31 pm
Why give a review that is not country. I think The Chicks made that obvious prior to the release. I have no intention to waste any of my time listening to one song on this album. By the way Daniel Donato album already available on Bandcamp. The Zephaniah O’Hora is also available on Bandcamp. For a August 14th release. At a price of One Dollar. Go figure. Forget the Chicks.
thegentile
July 20, 2020 @ 12:41 pm
just snagged a signed copy. glad you brought this up.
Paddy
July 20, 2020 @ 1:54 pm
Sometimes Bandcamp can come up with useful gems. They are always worth checking.
thegentile
July 20, 2020 @ 1:14 pm
also, western centuries on the pickathon stream right now.
Trigger
July 20, 2020 @ 1:17 pm
The Chicks are a 10-time CMA Winner including Entertainer of the Year, one of the most successful bands in country music history, and the centerpiece of one of the most controversial moments in country music history. If you don’t understand why them releasing the first album in 14 years is relevant to a country music website, I don’t know what to tell you. Also, I don’t know that it’s not country until I listen, and you don’t know that it’s not country until someone who listens to it tells you. That is what a review is. Someone listens to an album, and gives their opinion on it.
The new Zephaniah OHora album has already been featured here. Twice. Including on Friday. It will be reviewed once it’s officially released. The idea Zephaniah is being overlooked for The Chicks is ludicrous. Daniel Donato’s new album has also been featured here, and will likely receive a review when it’s released as well. Thanks for the heads up on the Bandcamp options.
Paddy
July 20, 2020 @ 1:45 pm
Cheers. I do indeed know the relevance of this release. I also know the relevance of the Chicks categorically stating it was not country. So if they say so that is good enough for me. Incidentally the Daniel Donato album is released on Bandcamp under the name Cosmic Country. Confusing. And I know Zephaniah has been raised in your column. Indeed I do specifically recall raising it with you. And to suggest that I somehow suggested that he was being overlooked for the Chicks is beyond ludicrous. Maybe you can tell me where I said that.
Trigger
July 20, 2020 @ 2:09 pm
Okay well if I misunderstood you, I apologize. But I’ve been getting shit all day for covering this record as if I ignored someone else’s to do it, which is NEVER the case. I would have caught just as much shit if I had ignored it.
Paddy
July 20, 2020 @ 2:15 pm
Fine, no problem. But you would have got no shit from me for ignoring it. But it has all worked out well. Zephaniah and Daniel have got a few extra sales without any review of their albums.
Big Tex
July 20, 2020 @ 12:38 pm
And, to continue Trigger’s reviews of albums made by people who hate the United States of America, up next is Josef Stalin’s “Killing Capitalists Softly With My Song.”
thegentile
July 20, 2020 @ 4:36 pm
maybe the problem is with you and your narrow version of how you determine whether or not people love america rather than trig’s review subjects…
Big Tex
July 20, 2020 @ 7:10 pm
thegentile:
It’s not difficult at all to determine who loves America. Hint: It’s not liberals.
There! Got it?
thegentile
July 20, 2020 @ 7:28 pm
there’s that narrow view! big tex’s view sure is little. maybe it’s a misnomer…
Trigger
July 20, 2020 @ 7:34 pm
Final comment on this thread.
Jake Cutter
July 20, 2020 @ 5:25 pm
AOTY right there. It’s not who votes that counts, it’s who counts the votes….
Peekardee & Lappith (featuring Tumpkin and Toptaw)
July 20, 2020 @ 1:10 pm
Never cared for them. Don’t like the lead singers voice.
Blackh4t
July 20, 2020 @ 1:28 pm
I’ll wait for the next Court Yard Hounds album. They are good. Not poignant but relaxing.
Jimmy
July 20, 2020 @ 3:29 pm
Martie and Emily should have dumped that big yapped Maines years ago. And I’m sure Adrian Pasdar would (if he could) write a scathing album about his ex-wife. The guy deserves a medal for lasting as long as he did with her.
Dee Manning
July 20, 2020 @ 3:46 pm
As far as angry-at-your-ex songs go, Gabby Barrett’s I Hope has a lot more punch…
Dana M
July 21, 2020 @ 12:48 am
The album was interesting. Some of the songs you get a real sense of what a great vocalist Natalie can be. I do miss Emily and Marty singing more though. It definitely feels like a “Natalie Maines and the Chicks” album. It was sublime hearing more instruments on Hope It’s Something Good but I miss hearing the full on instrumentation of their past records. Unfortunately I am a ride or die Dixie Chicks fan, so while this isn’t my favourite record I hope they keep making music past this album (2 year album cycle please), and try to strike a balance in their new sound to their old sound.
Loretta Twitty
July 21, 2020 @ 6:55 am
My tantrum for the day: This is painful for this Dixie Chicks fan. I wanted country. I wish there wasnt “F” bombs to prove their cool, their music never needed them. They are trying too hard to be woke, hard asses. I like some of the songs, bc I love Natalie’s voice. However, my feelings wouldn’t get hurt, if this album tanked.
albert
July 21, 2020 @ 9:54 am
”…to prove their cool, their music never needed them”
agreed 100% -it seems an immature , amateurish way to express yourself as a writer….
CountryMuiscFan1427
July 21, 2020 @ 2:02 pm
Well after reading this review I know now that I have no reason to listen to this record!! Given I’m mostly just a hardcore country music fan and my absolute distain for Natalie Maines I don’t feel like listening to her whine for 12+songs!! I hope this project flops and then Natalie can go make a pop record since she apparently doesn’t like country music anyway!! (So tired of pop music in country music!!)
PennCentral
July 21, 2020 @ 4:56 pm
Politically correct 😒😒 band with un politically correct name. I don’t want to hear man hating sour grapes from a band with an antagonizing name. Man hating is in right now, and I dare someone call a lady a “chick” in these parts and not get slapped. Your right, The (Dixie) Chicks is a ship that sailed (sunk?) long ago🤮🤮…. hypocrisy sucks….If a male country (?) singer went this route I can hear the cat(ty) calls about misogyny. 😠
HBZ
July 22, 2020 @ 6:12 am
As a fan of both country and pop, I think there is still a lot of their classic sound to be found in this album, and I agree the album is much better than the singles that preceded it. I’d disagree that it’s devoid of any country sound. I’d say that the country tinged tracks are better than most country pop we hear on mainstream radio these days, and the album as a whole as stated in your review is really worth listening to.
Trigger
July 22, 2020 @ 9:51 am
Didn’t mean to imply it was “devoid” of country sound. I tried to emphasize it had more than I was expecting, even if there still wasn’t a lot.
Paddy
July 24, 2020 @ 4:44 am
Hey Trigger. Just to change things. What about a review of Taylor Swift’s new album. Go on. It is arguably more important than the Chicks. You know you want to.
Trigger
July 24, 2020 @ 8:17 am
There are two important women releasing albums into the roots world today in the form of Courtney Marie Andrews and Lori McKenna. I got put on blast for reviewing a Luke Bryan song and Brett Eldredge. There once was a time on this site when people understood the broader mission here and I was given wider liberties, but I’m not sure we’re living in those times anymore. I have skimmed through the new Taylor Swift and fail to hear how it is folk or even Americana as some are characterizing, though it may be a fine pop record. I’ll have to listen deeper. Maybe I’ll review it. Maybe I won’t.
Paddy
July 24, 2020 @ 8:23 am
Too late Trigger. Already bought it. Have always liked her. And by the way, I had already bought the albums of the other two ladies. I think they are brilliant and should be at the top of any list in any brand of music. Cheers.
Jake Cutter
July 24, 2020 @ 8:52 am
I guess it’s your right to be concerned with being put on “blast,” but, even when I don’t agree with you and I’m one of them, I for one hope you don’t let a few non-mission-compliant commenters get to you. Cover what you want. I remember a time when you didn’t seem to give as much of a shit about being “given wider liberties.” If I wanted drivel by self-censoring conformists, I’d read RS Country,
paddy
July 24, 2020 @ 11:30 am
Just read that again. “You skimmed through it”. Go on, admit it. You like her.
Trigger
July 24, 2020 @ 12:37 pm
I skimmed through it just to make sure she didn’t release a folk or Americana record that might be relevant to matters here.
My thoughts on Taylor Swift are complex.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 24, 2020 @ 8:22 am
Eh. It’s wayyyy better than the last few, but it’s still resolutely indie-pop.
Bear
August 7, 2020 @ 9:14 pm
But- but- it has Harmonica on one track that sticks out like a pimple needing popping.
Joseph Robson
July 23, 2020 @ 2:54 am
I am an Independent Record Store Dealer. This is 1 LP/CD You will NEVER, EVER Find in My Store !!!!!!
Atomic Zombie Redneck
July 25, 2020 @ 10:34 am
I like the Dixie Chicks albums, and I’m enjoying what I’m hearing from The Chicks album. They’re different but good in their own ways.