Dixie Chicks ( Chicks )
Gaslighter - Columbia 2020
Tracks: Tracks: 1. Gaslighter / 2. Sleep at Night / 3. Texas Man / 4. Everybody Loves You / 5. For Her / 6. March March / 7. "My Best Friend's Weddings / 8. Tights on My Boat / 9. Julianna Calm Down / 10. Young Man / 11. Hope It's Something Good / 12. Set Me Free
Comments:
It's been a long wait since The Chicks last released a new album. I was very excited about the predecessor "Taking the Long Way" from 2006, and admired the group for their courage and honesty in their lyrics. I was fearing they would never find each other again, i.a. because sisters Emily and Martie had started releasing music as The Courtyard Hounds.
I was lucky to experience The Dixie Chicks live here in Denmark about five years ago, and I then sensed that the chemistry must be so good between them that something new had to come one day. This has now happened with "Gaslighter". Since I acquired my version of the album, the group has abbreviated their name to "The Chicks" - the political correctness nowadays knows no bounds!
Well, to the album itself. The top single "Gaslighter" has been the biggest radio hit in my country, and is without comparison the group's biggest hit hereso far. It's a really catchy earring with a message about women and equal rights among the sexes, a theme repeated on several songs on the album.
Lead singer Natalie Maines is very much in focus on ”Gaslighter”, and you can easily feel that it is her personal story you are listening to, even though most of the songs are written by all three girls in collaboration with producer Jack Antonoff. Antonoff has modernized the group's sound, but with great respect for the sound that was founded on "Wide Open Spaces". Most different is "March March", which plays on styles for the group completely new. The song might well go on to become an anthem for some of the many freedom movements we are experiencing these days. Here the girls are very far from their country roots, although the outro with mandolin and violin reminds us of where they came from. "March March" has been out as a single; but it is not really single material.
Two other singles are "Sleep at Night" and "Juliana Calm Down". The former in particular is a very fine song, with strong lyrics, convincingly performed by Natalie Maines.
"Texas Man" is also really strong; modern, folkish and catchy.
The ballad "Everybody Loves You" is also strong - classic Dixie Chicks, and you may be surprised to discover that the song as the only one is not written by the girls themselves.
I feel the album loses some energy in the second half; the numbers here are mostly subdued (not bad at all) and less notable. A nice exception is "Tights on My Boat".
Overall a nice and satisfying comeback.
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