Long Time Gone Now
Submitted by ben on August 7, 2006 - 12:46pm.
Whew. So it has been a long time since my first blog entry. I promised you thoughts on the new Dixie Chicks album, but first let's get some site news out of the way.
Big things have been happening behind the scenes here at inReview. For one, we're working to bring you our first podcast, featuring an interview with should-be-over-ground hip-hop super-duo Mars Ill. We've been frustrated about our inability to podcast music (see Dan's most recent blog entry for more info) but the guys gave us the go-ahead to include some of their indie stuff with the broadcast.
STAY TUNED for this, because it's going to be very good stuff.
We've also got an interview with FM Static that we hope to podcast, and hopefully an interview with one of Gotee Records' newest artists, Liquid. Much, MUCH more is in the works (and in the queue) in the features and interviews department, so be sure to keep it locked here.
There's more news, but I'm going to hold off on that for the moment because time is limited.
So...
I'm not going to give you much of an intro, because all of you know who the Dixie Chicks are. You've heard their singles, you know their politics, and you know that they're hated for both of these things.
I bought their album after hearing "Not Ready to Make Nice," mainly out of curiosity. I'd never owned a country album, much less one from a group as reviled as this, and it took me a while to get up the courage to take it up to the cashier.
Anway, on first listen I was under-whelmed. I love the messages in many of the songs, but the music really didn't do it for me at first. I was expecting a little more polish, a little more poppiness, but it wasn't there.
It has grown on me a bit since, but I'm still not a huge fan. "Easy Silence" is a great little love song about the quiet moments in relationships, and it's one of my favourite tracks. "I Hope," with its anti-war message, is probably #1 in my books, and "The Long Way Around" is another winner. "Bitter End" is fairly strong as well.
There are moral gaffes (see the lyrics to "Lubbock or Leave It") that will want parents to keep this CD out of the reach of children and young teens, however. I'll give this issue -- and my appraisal of this album -- much fuller treatment in the review I'm planning to write.
For now, I've got to run. Keep your stick on the ice.
Conservatism and country music
Submitted by ben on August 15, 2006 - 2:21pm.
I have to admit I didn't pay much attention to the Dixie Chicks' music until four years ago, when some co-workers and I were sitting in a bar and one of their songs came on the radio. One of the guys went into a bit of a rant about how much he hated the band, but I kind of liked the song. Put it out of my mind for quite a while, but thoroughly liked the first single from the new album and picked it up.
All that to say I wasn't aware of the morality of their music, but I guess the example you cited would be more than enough for some folks to steer clear of the album it comes from.
I'm not sure the pop world would be all that receptive to their politics, but you're right: it would probably be more receptive.
It's kind of interesting that if you took DC lyrics and set them on a rock record, they probably wouldn't even make a blip. They make anti-war and anti-Bush statements as country artists, however, and it's on the six o'clock news.
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Yep...
Submitted by Bwhacker on August 15, 2006 - 3:28pm.
Yeah, that kind of follows along with the traditional lines that each genre seems to follow. Country music has long been a place where, for lack of a better term, "conservative" principles have been welcome. Lots of spiritual themes and hymns/gospel music inclusions on albums, lots of talk about what I would call responsible freedom, and definitely a lot of patriotism.
Rock music, and its ugly stepsister, pop music, have both been primarily about shallower sentiments for most of their existence. With roots in the kind of music that couldn't get played on the radio in the early days, rock was destined to be about challenging the status quo, and consequently, its adherents tend to follow more extreme ideologies.
Not to say that there aren't conservative, secular rock groups, but like most entertainers, they're marginalized. Or at least far less vocal than their couterparts. With the possible exception of Henry Rollins. Who's more of a independent probably, than a true ideologue.
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Moral Gaffes
If you look further back in the Chicks' history, you'll see that their material has often trod a fine line, morally speaking. I remember when they released "Goodbye to Earl," which basically advocates killing an abusive spouse.
Of course, what I thought was interesting about this album was that, after proclaiming that they were no longer "country" artists but "pop" artists, they go back into the "country" market. Could be they just wanted to challenge their critics. Or, it could be that the pop market, which probably supports their politics better, was totally apathetic to what they had to offer as a product. Your choice.