Fly by the Dixie Chicks - Movies - http://maxpages.com/xanadu/fly

I remember my reaction to the Dixie Chicks the first time I saw them on TV crooning out the words to "I Can Love You Better"--Oh, country music has Spice Girls now. And it was true that their first album Wide Open Spaces, though a rare fusion of traditional country and pop, the lyrics were all the same old shallow love songs. Lyricism is a big deal for me, and I abhor hearing the same words said only slightly different in every single song. Still, I found myself leaving their songs on when I flipped by them on the radio. I am about as much a fan of banjoes and fiddles as I am of shallow lyrics, but there was something that lured me to this group. I didn't know whether it was Natalie Maines's strong vocals, the beautiful harmony on the choruses, or just that fusion of sounds, but somewhere along the line I became a closet fan.

Well, after this second album, I am admitting it--I like these gals. There is not much musically different about their sophomore album Fly, and for the most part the lyrics are almost identical (can anyone tell me the differnce in "Tonight the Heartache's on Me" and "Hello, Mr. Heartache?"). What pushes this album is its controversial nature. Though women like Shania Twain with their scantily clad bodies and take-charge semi-feminist attitudes are ripping down many of the taboos of country, it is still a fairly conservative field. The Dixie Chicks are anything but conservative. For starters, there is a nice picture inside the cover of the three women emerging from the open zipper of a giant pair of jeans. If that wasn't enough to make the Mere Haggard faithfuls cringe, then there is "Goodbye Earl" and "Sin Wagon."

"Goodbye Earl" was the reason I bought this album in the first place. I had heard a song about an abused woman who kills her husband was on the CD, and I assumed it would be a serious, heart-wreching song. When I finally heard it (and simultaneously saw the hilarious video), I was holding my sides. An upbeat, almost celebratory hymn, this song is comedy at it's most black and morbid. It is lyricism at its best. And as if they were anticipating the criticism, the ladies saw fit to add in the CD jacket a nice little message--"The Dixie Chicks do not condone premeditated murder but love getting even." One had to love being so tongue-and-cheek.

And if "Goodbye Earl" wasn't enough, there is also the charming song "Sin Wagon." The message is clear--"I am tired of being a good girl. It's damn time I misbehaved." With reference to "Mattress dancing" and telling God their "hell of a story" while they hope for forgiveness, this song is irreligous at best, some would even say blasphemous. And to add final insult to injury, the three hit a beautiful chord from the famous hymn "I'll Fly Away," only to add "on a sin wagon." This is a bold move, but don't we all need to ride that wagon sometimes? Hell, I don't even want to get off it. It's almost as though the Dixie Chicks were sticking their middle fingers in the face of the uptight listening population, and for that defiance, I have the utmost respect for them.

Aside from those two tracks, one will not find any ground-breaking songs or deeper meaning in the lyrics. Still there are songs like "Cowboy Take Me Away" which make one just want to kick back and relax, others such as "Heartbreak Town" which are haunting, and still others such as "Ready to Run" which are guarenteed to make one tap his foot. The bottom line to this CD, aside from those two songs mentioned earlier, there is no real artistic merit at all. But when Maines bellows out her tunes with that unmistakable voice, you can't help but overlook the many shortcomings. Yes, I have to admit it, I am a Dixie Chicks fan.

Xanadu8503@aol.com

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Page Updated Wed May 3, 2000 3:41am EDT