The Ledge - New Chicks album

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New Chicks album

Sounds very cool - Rick Rubin, some of the Heartbreakers, and they co-wrote all of the tunes this time.

http://www.dixiechicks.com/press_release.asp

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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 (1998) 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.

Should be interesting...

but why does Rick Rubin get another "production" credit when he almost always sits on a couch in the studio and gives his opinion (He rarely turns the knobs these days...Metallica come attest to that since they are working with Rick Rubin on their followup to "St.Anger"...Minus the therapist.)

None-the-less it should be worth a listen to see if they have indeed growed musical.

You can hear the new single at www.dixiechicks.com

It plays as the page loads, in its entirety. I think the first single sounds pretty good. Seems like it will be a great album.

Chris

I love the Dixie Chicks. There, I said it. :p

ehhh, never been a huge fan of this group tho I do think they are talented and have a few really good songs that I like, but Natalie just GRATES on my nerves. too much, too loud, too obnoxious for me, but that being said, I hope this album/tour does well - and I'm sure their fans are excited

I love them too. Not a huge fan of their Landslide though.

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Originally Posted by JazmenFlowers

but that being said, I hope this album/tour does well - and I'm sure their fans are excited

I really hope it does well too! They were treated so unfairly for the Bush comment. This is almost like a "come back".

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I love them too. Not a huge fan of their Landslide though.

I like their Landslide. I guess, if it's good enough for Mick, it's good enough for me. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by skcin

I love them too. Not a huge fan of their Landslide though.

Me either. I can't even listen to it. I do like the Dixie Chicks, though, and I'm looking forward to this album.

I think some of the song inspirations are a bit odd---infertility and Alzheimer's? Aside from that, the album looks promising. Rick Rubin is fantastic and it looks like the Chicks have some great musicians working with them on the album. I'm intrigued to say the least.

I really like the first single ~ can't wait to hear the album.

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Originally Posted by estranged4life

Did you read the sleeve notes on the Neil Diamond album? Rubin was really tough on Diamond, listening to his songs, telling him if he thought they were crap, making him go back and rewrite stuff and improve stuff over and over again, until he was satisfied and thought they were good enough. Obviously Rubin brought in a whole heap of friends this time to help get the sound he wanted with the Dixie Chicks. Whatever he does, it seems to work.
I do find it weird though, that after so many years working in the business as musicians the Dixie Chicks aren't capable of writing 10 or 12 songs all by themselves. I imagine it's pretty easy to come up with something good when you have the likes of Mike Campbell, Pete Yorn and Gary Louris (one of my favourite ever songwriters) working with you.
Anyway this should be interesting.

Since Rubin has worked with both Tom Petty and Natalie Maines now, both friends of Stevie, I hope something clicks in her mind and she finally realises her next record should be with him. I'm not sure she's smart enough to take his constructive criticism though. I mean kudos to Neil Diamond, a long established, well respected and hugely successful songwriter, for letting Rubin push him around like that, because the finished product is spectacular, the best thing Neil has done in years. Stevie, on the other hand, definitely does not like to be told what to do, in terms of her songwriting I think.

Good. I'm glad to hear they're writing their own material.:)

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Originally Posted by DavidMn

Good. I'm glad to hear they're writing their own material.:)

They always have :shrug: Not all of their songs....but a huge chunk of them.

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Originally Posted by ontheEdgeof17

They always have :shrug: Not all of their songs....but a huge chunk of them.

I didnt know that. I was under the impression that most country artists had others write their songs. But thank you for enlightening me.:)

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Originally Posted by DavidMn

I didnt know that. I was under the impression that most country artists had others write their songs. But thank you for enlightening me.:)

They're not like most country artists, at all. The majority of the songs that they haven't written on their albums were by Patty Griffin. I'm sure they had plenty of their own material to use, but loved her songs so much (rightfully so) that they used them instead.

I am so pumped for their new album. I'm an indie rock girl at heart, but I love the Dixie Chicks.