Natalie Maines Confirms New Dixie Chicks Album “Gaslighter”
We’ve known for a while that a new Jack Antonoff-produced album from the Dixie Chicks was on the way. Now we have a title, and more details behind what motivated the upcoming record. In a recent appearance on the Spiritualgasm podcast with Arielle Kebbel and Sterling Jones, not only did Dixie Chicks member Natalie Maines drop the album title, she also spoke in depth about the inspiration for the album, and how it came about.
“When I started getting a divorce, I had a lot to say, so that sparked me being ready,” Natalie explained. “Songwriting is really hard for me, and for many years I didn’t want to analyze life or my relationship. I was just in it, and dedicated and devoted, and if I had started writing songs about it, that might not have been good. I was just in a … I don’t want to say ‘survival mode,’ but I was just not ready to open up. And then when my relationship fell apart, I had a lot to say.”
The new album will not be a reunification of the trio, though some of the media will (and have) mistakenly touted it as such. Natalie Maines, Emily Erwin, and Martie Erwin played multiple shows together opening for The Eagles in 2010, toured extensively in 2013 throughout Canada and Europe, and then launched a successful Untied States tour in 2016, which included playing the marquee performance with Beyonce at the 2016 CMA Awards. The new record is simply be a re-emergence of the band in the recorded space. It is their first studio effort in 13 years. And though some believe the Dixie Chicks disbanded due to the controversy, it had just as much or more to do with the trio wanting to spend more time with their families.
“I definitely needed some time off,” Natalie says. “But I had just feeling like I had achieved more than I had ever … you have these dreams, and I had surpassed all of my dreams. And I saw Adrain [Natalie’s soon-to-be ex-husband] still striving for his. And as an actor you have to make yourself available, and we didn’t want our kids raised by nannies. And to make a record means you then have to tour. It’s a whole cycle. It’s was easy when the kids weren’t in school. You can just bring them. But once they get their own lives, we didn’t want to make their lives about us and ourt careers. And I like being domestic. I don’t have a problem cleaning the house and doing yard work, and cooking. So I just wanted to be a mom, and stay at home.”
Though most music fans know about the controversy surrounding the Dixie Chicks and their comments in 2003 about then President George W. Bush in the run up to the Iraq War, few remember the other controversy the group was embroiled in with their label, which the Dixie Chicks claim resulted in them receiving very few royalties from their music over the years.
“On our last tour is when our manager informed us—when we signed our contract, we had to sign for seven albums, and that’s what everybody did back then. On the last tour we did a live album, and Sony accepted it as one of our seven albums, so we only had one more … When we learned that Sony would take that live album as a ‘turned in’ album and we only had one more—we found all that out before I was getting a divorce—I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll do an album.’ But we thought we would do a covers album, just do it real easy, turn it in and get the money, and be free agents. And then my relationship fell apart, and I had a lot to say. So [Gaslighter] is not a covers album. Our last album was the most personal and autobiographical we’d ever been, and this one is ten times that.”
Natalie Maines also said that they have a tour mapped out to accompany the new album, both of which are expected in 2020. Even though we haven’t heard any new music from the trio yet, they recently returned to the country charts via their collaboration with Taylor Swift on the song “Soon You’ll Get Better.” Though we don’t have a specific release date or track list, two songs were confirmed on the record: “Go It Alone,” and the title track, “Gaslighter.”
More information on the new Dixie Chicks album when it becomes available.
September 20, 2019 @ 12:49 pm
Random thoughts, I’m supposed to be working at this desk.ha. I love the music they make together. I didn’t love their side projects. I hope they keep it country . Hopefully,they don’t get too enlightened & apologize for ” Earl” & other PC junk.
September 20, 2019 @ 1:05 pm
I think of a more annoying group than the Dixie Chicks. Natalie Maines has without doubt one of the most obnoxious singing voices I have ever heard.
September 20, 2019 @ 1:36 pm
You mean besides Jennifer Nettles…
September 20, 2019 @ 1:50 pm
I disagree. Generally, I prefer male vocalists, but Natalie is one of the ladies that does have a great voice in my opinion. There are plenty worse than her. Now, where do I begin?…..
September 20, 2019 @ 5:00 pm
Her voice is flat. Very flat. But somehow still pleasant.
September 21, 2019 @ 8:16 am
Natalie’s lead vocal on “A Long Time Gone” is so good. Always enjoyed her singing.
September 24, 2019 @ 7:18 pm
It’s “I can’t think” not ‘I think” and “without a doubt” not “without doubt”, jez if you’re gonna be a hater the least you can do is use the correct grammer and wording. I feel for anyone receiving a work related email from you.
September 27, 2019 @ 5:17 am
Um…grammar
September 20, 2019 @ 2:58 pm
It isn’t her voice that annoys me…their personalities and commentaries are annoying. And the song with Beyonce was CRINGE to me. Hated it.
September 20, 2019 @ 3:20 pm
To quote the legend all I got to say..I just don’t give a Damn!
September 20, 2019 @ 3:52 pm
Can’t wait.
The Chicks always stood for good songs & good stories performed with heaping helpings of stringed instrumentation and minimal studio trickery.
Just thinking about where Mainstream Country would be right now of it had gone in the Chicks direction back in the 2000’s instead of the Toby Keith direction with all the overproduced, bombastic, jingoistic, pandering, gimmicky… ugh. Well it still annoys me to no end.
The O Brother soundtrack was blowing minds, Bob Dylan was knee deep in Roots music, Dolly Parton was reviving Bluegrass, Rodney Crowell and Patty Loveless and Elvis Costello and Lucinda Williams and a million other artists were all on board… and America chose bro Country. America chose the grandstanding, reductive, oversimplifications of patriotic Country. and America chose to start purging women from Country radio.
The Chicks are an unwelcome reminder of those times and maybe they won’t ever be embraced by the majority ever again irregardless of Swift’s endorsement but… They. Were. Right. All along. They were 100% in the right. and It’s too bad that their new music will be lost on an audience full of people who will refuse to listen whilst complaining about the current state of Country playlists. We could’ve had it so good.
September 20, 2019 @ 7:40 pm
Honestly never thought about this till now about “what could of been” related to simple patriotic songs led to the pathway that was bro country.
September 20, 2019 @ 10:33 pm
Truth.
September 20, 2019 @ 5:00 pm
As long as this isn’t political nonsense, it’ll be good.
September 20, 2019 @ 7:34 pm
I’ve studied quite a bit over the years about relationship issues, so I know what the term “gaslighter” means in the context of relationship problems. It’s no compliment to be labeled a gaslighter. Given Natalie’s mention of her divorce and having “a lot to say”, I can’t wait to hear the lyrics to that title tune…should be informative as well as entertaining!
September 20, 2019 @ 11:58 pm
Still regularly have their CD’s constantly playing in my car. I love pretty much every album. I have high expectations and I don’t give a damn if they are political or not. It’s the music.
September 21, 2019 @ 5:42 am
If only I had a steamroller I just might buy a copy.
September 22, 2019 @ 7:02 pm
Why don’t you like well-written songs performed by talented artists?
Is it because they’re DURLS?
September 21, 2019 @ 7:45 am
Yawn, wake me when it’s over.
September 21, 2019 @ 7:53 am
Can’t wait for the new album. I’m hoping it’s more like Home than Taking the Long Way. More country and less rock.
September 21, 2019 @ 8:15 am
I would have loved to see a Lloyd Maines produced Dixie Chicks album. Natalie has always made it clear her first love was not country music and her dad had to talk her into the band. The album may be great, but having Jack Antonoff produce the album seems like a Natalie move trying to be trendy.
September 21, 2019 @ 9:01 am
Finally! I’m so ready for this album. I’ve been listening to The Essential compilation recently and it’s just made me miss them that much more.
September 21, 2019 @ 10:12 am
Bought a Chicks Greatest Hits or Best Of or Essential CD (can’t remember) for my mom a couple of years ago.
No…i don’t hate my mom. The CD was cheap & mom is only playing Dan Seals, Steve Wariner & Larry Peninsula.
It was the day she told me she don’t like female singers (except for Tanya Tucker, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton & aussie country artists Gina Jeffreys & Beccy Cole).
September 21, 2019 @ 10:44 am
Honestly, who knows what this will be like? They were good back in the day, though, and the backlash against them for their perfectly sensible comments about Bush was pathetic – a blatant example of right-wing political correctness.
September 21, 2019 @ 11:09 am
I’m not ready to play nice and I’m not ready for them.
September 21, 2019 @ 3:54 pm
Here’s an idea: If you don’t like the DXCs, don’t listen to them. If I can tolerate FGL, you can tolerate DXC.
September 21, 2019 @ 6:07 pm
I cannot for the life of me comprehend why anyone would tolerate FGL when they have the power to ignore them.
September 21, 2019 @ 6:12 pm
I misspoke. I said “tolerate” when I meant “ignore.” My bad.
September 21, 2019 @ 6:39 pm
Ha. I’m with ya’.
September 21, 2019 @ 8:25 pm
When their album flops they can just blame Trump supporters.
September 22, 2019 @ 7:07 pm
So, to be clear…is your point that only Trump supporters either have such genuinely terrible taste that they don’t enjoy the Dixie Chicks?
Or is it that Trump supporters such whiney, triggered, little snowflake-y bitches that they’ll refuse listen to great music because the lead singer made comments about a Bush family member that aren’t a quarter as rude as what Trump has said about them?
Looking forward to your clarification, hon!
(It’s fine if you have to go to a puppy room first, though – I’ve heard that someone challenging your dumb opinions can be triggering).
September 23, 2019 @ 6:54 am
Lester seems to have some sand in his vag.
September 23, 2019 @ 10:48 am
I think the album name comes from people would like to have when Natalie opens her ample mouth. Gas and a lighter.
September 28, 2019 @ 10:54 pm
It’s interesting to see men’s comments on here about this woman’s “mouth” rather than focus on her talent. Grow. Up.