Once upon a time, being a Dixie Chick meant being a part of a tremendously popular bluegrass band in Dallas with a small but loyal cult following. In two whirlwind years, though, Chick status has come to entail playing to crowds of thousands and endlessly fretting about where to put the latest CMA, ACM or Grammy Award. And in two weeks, being a Dixie Chick will mean having not one, but two albums in the Country Top Five -- possibly in the top two slots.
Granted, despite their prime billing on two of the music industry's most successful tours (the George Strait Country Music Fest and Lilith Fair), the six-times-platinum status of their current No. 2 album, Wide Open Spaces, a hit single from the Top Ten Runaway Bride soundtrack and a nomination for Entertainer of the Year at the upcoming CMA Awards on Sept. 22, there's a chance that when the Dixie Chicks release their new album, Fly next week, no one will care or notice. But if that happens, mind you watch the sky for pig droppings.
In all likelihood, Fly will herald the real arrival of the Chicks as a force to be reckoned with, not just in country, but across the board. Wide Open Spaces found the group retooled from a tradition-steeped cowgirl outfit into an ultra-hip hits machine, but even though the album featured the talented Chicks playing their own instruments (a rarity in Nashville), by and large it failed to reflect the relentless energy of their celebrated live show. It's as a live act -- particularly as showcased on a multi-genre arena tour like Lilith Fair -- that the Chicks have picked up a healthy chunk of their fan-base. And loaded with rockers like "Sin Wagon," "Goodbye Earl" and "Hole In My Head," Fly captures that aspect of the Chicks in spades.
"Our live show is our strength," lead singer Natalie Maines readily admits. "It's always fun to watch peoples' faces change, particularly during the instrumentals. You would never think that all these rockers would be cloggin', but they're all acting like they're on Hee-Haw."
Maines, who joined veteran Chicks Martie and Emily Erwin (now Seidel and Robison, respectively) in 1995, credits Fly's edgier, truer sound to the three women having even more freedom in the studio than before. "I think we were in charge a lot more than other artists on the last one, but you definitely see the difference on this one," she says. "I don't think our label necessarily thought we were going to be such a success when we were signed. And that was fine with us -- we were confident, and we loved proving ourselves."
Although Wide Open Spaces took a few months to gather steam, Maines' life as a Dixie Chick has been a breeze compared to the Erwin sisters, who founded the Chicks in 1989 with vocalists Robin Lynn Macy and Laura Lynch and labored for years trying to translate local and cult appeal into a national record deal. But the year after Maines came on board, the Chicks signed a six-album deal with Sony's Monument Records.
Maines, who was raised on country as the daughter of noted Texas producer/steel player Lloyd Maines but always remained "a rocker at heart", brought a sense of brassy sass to the table without which it would be hard to imagine the group being anywhere near where -- or who -- they are today. The sisters' accomplished skills on fiddle, mandolin, dobro, banjo and guitar (both have played since early childhood) remain vital to the group's sound and credibility, but Maines' brazen vocals and punk stage bravado quickly kicked the Dixie Chicks into high gear. And as the music evolved, so too did their attitude and style. Gone are the days of hoaky cowgirl outfits, replaced with designer pastels, feather boas and the most consistently entertaining awards show get-ups this side of Cher. As for having to prove themselves to their label, those days are also long gone.
"I don't know if our label gets us yet," laughs Maines, "but at least they see that other people do, so they were more relaxed this time around. We got to be a little more expressive and creative on everything from song selection to getting to listen to 'Sin Wagon' and go, 'I think we should put a Jew's Harp on here.' Our producers let us have more freedom because they're not scared to please the label or play by Nashville rules."
To wit, two of the album's strongest tracks fly smack in the face of said rules, even in the seemingly anything-goes age of Shania. On the road-tested rave-up "Sin Wagon," which Maines and Robison co-wrote with songwriter Stephonie Smith, Maines boldly sings of her hell-bent intention to find some "mattress dancin'" action. "Goodbye Earl," meanwhile, finds the hapless title character mercilessly done in by his abused wife and her girlfriend. "Ain't it dark / wrapped up in that tarp?" chirps Maines before a spirited chorus of "la-la-las." Imagine Thelma and Louise getting medieval on "Stand By Your Man"'s ass.
"We laughed because Sony was so worried about 'Sin Wagon' and 'mattress dancing,' and our manager said, 'You're worried about a song that talks about sex, but you're not worried about a song with pre-meditated, first-degree murder?'" says Maines. "So that's another reason it's a good thing we have success, or I don't think 'Sin Wagon' would be on the record."
Odds are, though, it won't be a single, but "Goodbye Earl" most definitely will be. "Dennis Franz of NYPD Blue said he'd be in the video," Maines says readily. "A long time ago he said he'd do that, so we hope he still will. We thought he'd make a good Earl."
RICHARD SKANSE
(August 26, 1999)
