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Taking the Long Way
Dixie Chicks
Retail Price (not our price): $18.97
Release Date: 2006-05-23
Manufacturer: Sony
Format: Audio CD
Discs: 1

Track List
Now here, for your listening pleasure, the tracks...

Disc 1

Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Amazon.com
Nothing changes folks like babies and war, and since the release of their last album, 2002's Home, the Dixie Chicks have been forever altered by both. If that album showcased the trio as precocious young adults, Taking the Long Way finds them sobered and matured, and in a grown-up state of mind. Produced by the celebrated Rick Rubin (Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers), who saw the Chicks as "a great rock act making a country album, not a country act making a rock album," their new record impresses both as beautiful sonic tapestry (peppered with myriad Beatlesque hallmarks) and forthright yet vulnerable portrait of three women shaken by the personal and political events of the past few years. As they make clear in the defiant "Not Ready to Make Nice," they still smart over the backlash from their 2003 Bushwhacking. But as they assert on the equally autobiographical "The Long Way Around," they could never "kiss all the asses that they told me to" and just follow others aimlessly--and silently--through life. This means that the Chicks are simultaneously prideful and scornful of celebrity ("Everybody Knows"), and that as new mothers they increasingly treasure the refuge they find in life with their families, out of the spotlight ("Easy Silence," "Lullaby," "Baby Hold On"). The push and pull of both passions drive this record, which also touches on the personal issues of infertility (with which sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison both dealt) and Alzheimer's (from which Natalie Maines's grandmother suffers). The trio crafted all 14 cuts with the help of such writers as Sheryl Crow, Gary Louris, Mike Campbell, and Keb' Mo', laying out their lives as honestly and intimately as they might in their diaries. For that reason, on first listen, Taking the Long Way seems too somber--in need of a bit of levity and more than a couple of uptempo songs (like the sexy, '60s-flavored "I Like It") to resonate for the long haul. It also seems to lack the writing quality that Darrell Scott, Patty Griffin, and Bruce Robison brought to Home. But on repeated plays, those concerns dissipate. By the last cut, the R&B/gospel offering "I Hope," the Chicks have chronicled their journey with as much spirituality as spunk, their pain deeply ingrained in their protests. --Alanna Nash

2) Description
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 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." 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"). "This album was about finding a balance in the different aspects of our lives," says Emily Robison, "but there's something thematic there, too--it's really about being bold." Dixie PicsDixie DiscsHomeWide Open SpacesFlyTop of the World Tour (Live CD) Top of the World Tour (DVD)An Evening with the Dixie Chicks (DVD)

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

1) Great Album   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Recently purchased "Taking the Long Way" by the Dixie Chicks, after seeing their Story tellers on MTV. I think the album is great, especially the song "Silent House". The lyrics of the song are very nice and the way the song is performed is masterful!

2) Great music is not bound by genre!   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
"New Country" has never been a genre of music that I could embrace wholeheartedly. My own belief is that "real" country music, on the whole, is long since dead. My feeling is the same regarding "real" Rock 'n Roll. Simply put, there will never be another Country artist as pure or influential as Hank Williams Sr., just as there will never be another Elvis, or Beatles.In the 90's, when Grunge and Rap infested the mainstream Rock and Pop airwaves, a lot of music listeners looking for "normality" turned to New Country. For the most part I was put-off by the majority of these New Country artists. It seemed that just about every hick from the sticks was being pushed as the next big thing. Heck, just slap a big hat on some fool with an empty head, give him a big belt buckle, and he's a star! I found most New Country to be contrived and silly. However, there were a few truly great artists to be found in that mixed bag....The Dixie Chicks; Garth Brooks they ain't!The Dixie Chicks have proven that in this age of empty New Country, real talent will still rise to the top. While they certainly cannot be described as Country in the classic sense, their music is undeniably REAL and in my opinion, truly great! My music collection consists of a variety of styles and genres, but is primarily centered around Rock. Even so, I found "Taking the Long Way" to be my favorite album of 2006. This truly is a well written, masterfully produced, and perfectly performed collection of songs! It's a rarity to find an album these days that is almost entirely good, but I would venture to say that there isn't a bad song on this entire CD!Highly recommended!Get the version with the bonus DVD! Great live performances!JM

3) Rick Rubin does it again.   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
First off I'll say I haven't liked their twangy previous work and I hate their politics so I was biased against liking this album. I picked up this album after hearing an interview with the 'Chicks on NPR. I was surprised how much I liked the songs they included in the interview, until the name Rick Rubin was mentioned. I tell ya, that guy's amazing. He really knows how to draw something special out of the musicians he works with. I hope they work with him some more because they're really on the right track musically.

4) Great Album - Defective Disc   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
Taking The Long Way is another great collection of songs from the Dixie Chicks. I wouldn't say that it's any better than their previous albums; the songs were well written & well performed. Unfortuneately, the CD I received only lasted for 2 or 3 "spins" before pooping out in my otherwise properly functioning CD player. $$$ wasted!!

5) The Dixie Chicks' Finest Hour.   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
"I'm not ready to make nice, I'm not ready to back down, I'm still mad as hell and I don't have time to go 'round and 'round and 'round. It's too late to make it right, I probably wouldn't if I could, `Cause I'm mad as hell Can't bring myself to do what it is you think I should."Taking the Long Way was released in May, 2006, three years after the infamous March 10, 2003 "Incident" in which Natalie Maines criticized President Bush Iraq during a Dixie Chicks' London concert (chronicled in the excellent 2006 documentary Shut Up & Sing). Taking the Long Way sounds more like rock than country. In fact, the CD includes Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on drums. Produced by Rick Rubin (known for his work with Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, and the Beastie Boys), the album features some of the best music of the Dixie Chicks' twenty-yeat career, including the brilliant songs "The Long Way Around," "Not Ready to Make Nice," "Favorite Year," and my personal favorite, "Silent House.""The Long Way Around" is an intelligent anthem of nonconformity. "Not Ready to Make Nice," the album's first single, offers a defiant response to the controversy surrounding Maines' comment three years earlier, with an anger in her voice that rivals Alanis Morrissette. "Favorite Year" was written in collaboration with Sheryl Crow, and "Silent House" was written in collaboration with Neil Finn of Crowded House. (Finn's own more haunting rendition of the song may be found on his Crowded House album, Time on Earth). The lyrics are pure poetry:"And I will try to connectAll the pieces you leftI will carry it onAnd let you forgetAnd I'll remember the yearsWhen your mind was clearHow the laughter and lifeFilled up this silent houseSilent house.In the garden off the living roomA chill fills the airAnd the lilies bloom." Proving perhaps there is justice in the universe of public opinion, The Dixie Chicks swept the 2007 Grammy Awards with Taking the Long Way, winning all five categories for which they were nominated including Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year. Complete album tracks include: 1. The Long Way Around 2. Easy Silence 3. Not Ready To Make Nice 4. Everybody Knows 5. Bitter End 6. Lullaby 7. Lubbock Or Leave It 8. Silent House 9. Favorite Year 10. Voice Inside My Head 11. I Like It 12. Baby Hold On 13. So Hard 14. I Hope G. Merritt