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.