Dixie Chicks new licks

The Dixie Chicks new album, like so many things in today's America lends itself to the red vs. blue, "I'm right and therefore you are wrong," classification that occurs when one speaks his or her mind.\nThe album, Taking the Long Way, is #1 in sales rankings on Amazon.com and was sold out at the local Best Buy the day after it was released, yet many country radio stations across the country are refusing to play singles from it.\nWith lyrics like "It's too late to make it right/ I probably wouldn't if I could/ 'Cause I'm mad as hell/ Can't bring myself to do what it is you think I should," it is obvious that the Dixie Chicks are not asking for forgiveness nor hiding from the controversy that resulted when singer Natalie Maines said "Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas," during a 2003 concert in London. \nAnd refusing to apologize for speaking your mind is apparently a bad thing, or so it would seem according to many radio stations. But with this album the Dixie Chicks have the next laugh in the soap opera that is American politics. This album is good. \nA number of the songs can be interpreted to be making reference to the political world around us, and also the flak that they received from speaking their minds in 2003. But it works because the music is just as strong as the lyrics are and the nuances in the language match the music. \nThere are times when you listen to an album and it reminds you of another band. Taking the Long Way is a CD that the In My Tribe-era 10,000 Maniacs (back when Natalie Merchant was with them) could have made if they were a little more country. The 10,000 Maniacs made politics and social issues an essential part of their music and asked the listener to stop and think about the world around them. Long Way does the same thing. When playing this disc, the listener should be sure to pay attention to how the music and the words work together and appreciate the artistry of this album.\nThe Dixie Chicks are more folk than country, but then again contemporary country is full of artists who are anything but traditional country. From Bon Jovi to the "hick-hop" Cowboy Troy, country music is changing and the Dixie Chicks are staking a claim for where country music should go. \nAs representatives of new country, the Dixie Chicks have created an album that begs you to listen to it over and over. Sometimes you are mesmerized by the music and sometimes you want to listen to and think about the lyrics. What more can we ask of country artists who have something to say, but to ask them to say it well and make us want to listen?