i think the most interesting thing about this dixie chicks song is the alt-rock black-clad cosmopolitan packaging. cant you just see the marketing people hard at work rebranding their commodity. i wonder if its actually closer to the truth. and, of course, theres the idea of "a protest song" extruded through a melodic soaring lovesong form. ultimately probably more subversive than all the other protest songs this "war" has fostered. oh, wait, there arent any others.

"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."
- dave 3-23-2006 5:17 pm [add a comment]

"I'm not big on the Chicks sound, but the loud Fuck You to their erstwhile fans does make me smile. And while a good portion of the Chicks' renewed anger is market rebranding, you can sense that they truly mean what they say, especially Maines, who holds little nostalgia for their more acceptable, commercial persona.

"I never wrote anything from my point of view. Even if it was something that happened to me, I would write it like it was a character and I was telling someone else's story ... That's not very brave."

Martie Maguire adds, "I'd rather have a smaller following of really cool people who get it, who will grow with us as we grow and are fans for life, than people that have us in their five-disc changer with Reba McEntire and Toby Keith. We don't want those kinds of fans. They limit what you can do.""
- dave 5-25-2006 10:57 pm [add a comment]