SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 1 Hour, 6 Min.
Released by Columbia Nashville Records in 2006, Taking the Long Way is The Chicks’ (aka The Dixie Chicks) seventh studio album. All three members (Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire, & Emily Strayer) are co-writers on all fourteen tracks.
Track 14: “I Hope” was subsequently nominated for two 2007 Grammys – specifically, Best Country Song and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal. Track # 3: “Not Ready to Make Nice” ultimately scored three Grammy wins: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Taking the Long Way’s fourth and fifth 2007 Grammys would be for Best Country Album and Album of the Year.
The track list is as follows:
- The Long Way Around 4:31
- Easy Silence 4:02
- Not Ready to Make Nice 3:58
- Everybody Knows 4:18
- Bitter End 4:38
- Lullaby 5:51
- Lubbock or Leave It 3:54
- Silent House 5:23
- Favorite Year 4:29
- Voice Inside My Head 5:52
- I Like It 4:34
- Baby Hold On 5:04
- So Hard 4:28
- I Hope 5:25
REVIEW:
This album’s quintet of Grammys is merited. Top to bottom, Taking the Long Way is an exceptional effort, as all fourteen tracks are well-played.
As easy as it is to deem Track # 3: “Not Ready to Make Nice” this album’s best asset, it’s really more the one that leaves the most lasting impression. Frankly, the other thirteen contemporary country tunes are just as exquisitely written, performed, and produced, even if they aren’t all designed as radio hits.
Impressively, Taking the Long Way offer several welcome shifts in tempo, tone, and well-structured melodies that emphasize the trio’s first-class originality. Case in point: Track # 6: “Lullaby” is a gently low-key ballad and a simply classy effort. The subsequent track: “Lubbock or Leave It” is a rollicking honky-tonk caper that immediately lifts off. Though the pacing could have varied more throughout the album, the Chicks’ teamwork ensure their tracks exude the right amount of vocal energy.
Suffice to say, more than just country music fans get their money’s worth with Taking the Long Way. Appealing to a wide demographic beyond the genre, it’s a Chicks album definitely worth re-discovery.
PACKAGING:
The CD is well-protected in a standard casing. The insert is nicely produced.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 9 Stars
