Dixie Chicks - 'Taking The Long Way'

There’s fine line between art and pop art. The former can often resemble the proverbial falling tree in the forest; the latter requires someone to hear it hit the ground. The Dixie Chicks’ new album Taking The Long Way arrives weighted down by all kinds of questions, but the one on everyone’s mind (save, maybe, theirs) is whether they can sustain multi-platinum status without the support of country radio, or no radio at all.

Forgiveness for “The Incident” is a moot point – what little contrition Natalie Maines ever displayed has been washed over by a new message for her critics – it starts with “f” and ends with “uck you.” From the first single (“Not Ready To Make Nice”) to nearly every interview and article, Maines and the Chicks are officially done with penance. In fact, “Not Ready To Make Nice” is one of a handful of tracks that musically – never mind lyrically – would have genuine trouble finding a likely home on country radio, even if the long memories and narrow minds of most programmers weren’t a consideration. Elsewhere, Taking The Long Way (produced by Rick Rubin) should broaden the Chicks’ appeal among the non-country set but retains enough of their former identity to please most of their loyal base. In fact, the only thing really missing from the new record are the headlong forays into bluegrass which dominated its predecessor Home – an album considered rebellious in its own right (albeit for completely different reasons). Fiddle breaks and pedal steel crop up on quite a few tracks, but it is the unabashed rock production that mark Taking The Long Way as a significant departure. The record often resembles the kind of thing Sheryl Crow ought to be making, basically the female incarnation of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (also a longtime Rubin client). The Dixie Chicks aren’t breaking new ground here, but the album might remind you just how increasingly rare this brand of country-rock has become. However, what trumps all of their peers is the fact that the Chicks actually have something to say. Once the victims of prevailing cultural winds, they now seem poised to sail home as heroes in light of the President’s plummeting popularity.

Musically, despite the dense, layered production, it’s surprising how much of the Dixie Chicks’ core personality shines through. Maines is a limited but gifted vocalist, prone to bouts of tender brilliance when she finds just the right note. The instrumental duties of Emily Robison and Martie Maguire have a diminished role on Taking The Long Way, but their backing vocals and songwriting contributions continue to lend the Chicks the air of a genuinely collaborative band. The record would have benefited artistically from a streamlined track list, but it’s clear that the balance of rock and country songs has been carefully calculated to maximize its appeal. True to their professional roots, the Chicks have meticulously crafted a commercially viable product, even while they give the establishment the finger.

Ultimately, the public reaction to Taking The Long Way will be a much more interesting study than the actual record in question. The Chicks are wisely courting and cultivating a loyal (i.e. long-term) fanbase, and I don’t imagine a drop of a few million in album sales will send them to the poor house. Sony is enlisting nearly every outlet – except maybe radio – to promote the record. The Chicks just last week announced a two-year deal with MSN to officially anoint their website www.dixiechicks.msn.com, an almost unheard of partnership between a recording artist and major online media outlet. Target and Best Buy are both offering exclusive editions of the album (both sold out at local stores in Houston on Tuesday evening), and it would appear that the Dixie Chicks are at least the most fascinating musical act of the moment. Whether their continued popularity will justify the attention remains to be seen, but this much is true: Taking The Long Way is the most satisfying piece of pop art you’re likely to hear this year.