Posted on 03/10/2006 6:01:12 PM PST by beansox
DIXIE CHICKS SLATED TO RELEASE HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED FOURTH ALBUM - TAKING THE LONG WAY ON MAY 23, 2006
All Fourteen Tracks Co-Written by the Dixie Chicks and Produced by Rick Rubin New York, NY – March 10, 2006 – Superstars, renegades, innovators, heroes, villains, and moms - over almost a decade, the Dixie Chicks have grown from a band into a phenomenon. Now more than ever, the eyes of the world are on them, and with TAKING THE LONG WAY, they come out swinging, surpassing the pressures and expectations history has placed upon them. The nine time Grammy-Award winning Sony Recording artists will release this highly-anticipated fourth album (Open Wide/Columbia/Sony BMG) on May 23, 2006.
With TAKING THE LONG WAY, one of the most anticipated albums in recent years, the Dixie Chicks are putting themselves out there like never before. For the first time, every one of the disc's fourteen songs are co-written by the Chicks themselves, exploring themes both deeply private and resoundingly political. Collaborating with legendary producer Rick Rubin (who has worked with everyone from Johnny Cash to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, from Run DMC to Neil Diamond), the biggest-selling female band in history has truly pushed themselves to new heights both as writers and as performers.
"Everything felt more personal this time," says Natalie Maines. "I go back to songs we've done in the past and there's just more maturity, depth, intelligence on these. They just feel more grown-up."
Rubin assembled a band including Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, session hero Larry Knechtel, and Heartbreakers Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell, and matched the Chicks with co-writers including Dan Wilson (who wound up collaborating on six of TAKING THE LONG WAY's songs), Pete Yorn, and Gary Louris of the Jayhawks.
Inspired by such classic rock artists as the Eagles, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and the Mamas and the Papas, TAKING THE LONG WAY adds a sweeping, Southern California vibe to the Chicks' down-home intimacy. That ambition is matched with lyrics addressing everything from small-town narrow-mindedness ("Lubbock or Leave It") to the psychology of celebrity ("Everybody Knows").
Not just "big for a country band" or "big for a big female band," the Dixie Chicks are a multi-platinum selling act in North America, Europe and Australia as well as one of a mere handful of acts with multiple albums achieving "diamond" status (meaning sales over 10 million copies) - both WIDE OPEN SPACES (199 and FLY (1999) hit that stratospheric landmark - and have won nine Grammy awards. Their on-stage reputation has helped them sell over $100 million worth of concert tickets, and outspoken songs like "Goodbye, Earl" made it clear that this power trio played by nobody's rules.
And that was all before Natalie Maines's comments about a fellow Texan, President George W. Bush, during a London appearance in March, 2003 really put the Dixie Chicks in the headlines. The resultant uproar - complete with boycotts and death threats - is the focus of TAKING THE LONG WAY's defiant first track, "Not Ready to Make Nice." "The stakes were definitely higher on that song," says Robison. "We knew it was special because it was so autobiographical, and we had to get it right. And once we had that song done, it freed us up to do the rest of the album without that burden."
The results cover an impressive range of territory. "Silent House" examines the emotions that come from watching an older relative struggle with Alzheimer's. "It's So Hard When It Doesn't Come Easy" addresses infertility, an issue that both Robison and Maguire have faced. The Chicks debuted the gospel-inflected "I Hope," co-written with Keb' Mo, during last year's telethon benefiting the victims of Hurricane Katrina; the album version features a blistering guitar solo by John Mayer.
"This album was total therapy," says Natalie Maines. "I'm way more at peace now. Writing these songs and saying everything we had to say makes it possible to move on."
Details are forthcoming on a worldwide Dixie Chicks concert tour that will kick-off this summer.
Source:www.dixiechicks.com
NEVER FORGET!
>>"...the Dixie Chicks have grown from a band into a phenomenon distant memory.
Now more than ever, the eyes of the world are on them watching American Idol.<<
ROTFLOL
I refuse to listen and or buy anything from these broads. And if Faith Hill and Tim McGraw aren't careful, they'll go on the list too!
They're gonna have their openning concert at Mika Jerksons Ranch!
OK.......
Who beat me to the "WHOCARES" keyword???
Those tubes do get stuck together after you've been around the block a few times.
And then Fatalie had to go and open her mouth in something other than song. I have never listened to them again.
Mark your calenders and make sure you go out and buy ABC (anyone but chicks) that day and help keeps these traitors OFF The charts!
I will buy Toby Keith. In fact, I intend to call every local country station and request "Courtesy of the red white and blue" all day. I will boycott any station that plays the chicks. Start calling stations now.
The also flash images of pro-abortion rallys on giant screens at their concerts trying to brainwash teenagers through music. The smaller their audience is, the less damage they do the few lemmings they have left as fans.
There will be a groundswell of new listeners who have joined the ant-Bush/Republicans crowd.
This will be interesting to see how it does.The faithful will still buy and guarantee pretty large sales.I hear it will more of a "rock" sound.I can't see it breaking into new markets.The 2nd album after will be the real test ,because if the faithful are disappointed by this new sound , they won't be back.
They have never written any of their own big hits before.
By sitting out so long they have lost the "sassy girl" vote to newcomers like Miranda Lambert.
Will do. I already noticed that one of the top country stations in my area is playing the Chicks again. Testing the water, I'm sure.
It was my understanding htat the chicks were no longer country, and according to natalie, she was NEVER country. But they arnt women of intergrity and after all the anti-"country" bull ish they have spewed for the last few years, one would expect them to not have their music on country stations or its airplay and sales charts.... but they wont do that...because lets face it...they ARNT all that pretty, they ARNT cool, and they ARNT young, and that IS what it takes to be in ROCK...
Thier last album was a live greatest hits package released in 11/04...it still has NOT sold a million copies.
There was a thread here awhile back that said Natalie had abandoned her hick fans. :)
I am in total agreement with you!!!
But not the hick charts! They will cling on to those like buzzards on a gut wagon. They need the country charts because they dont have enough fans left to make an noticable impression on the rock charts. they have no integrity.
They lost their novelty.
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