Dixie Chicks
“Taking the Long Way”
COUNTRY|Sony, released today
The Dixie Chicks aren’t as full-on country as they used to be. Granted the trio has always been a pop crossover act, but now the band is one big sociological experiment. When singer Natalie Maines dissed President George W. Bush while touring the Chicks’ last record, “Home,” she ticked off its country-loving conservative fans.
What’s a Dixie Chick to do? Apologize, make nice and hope they forget about it?
Nope. The single “Not Ready to Make Nice” is a song of conviction, not contrition. “This album was total therapy,” Maines said in press materials.
The song is an indictment of those who abandoned the Chicks, sent death threats and boycotted their work, and while it’s not quite scathing – “It’s too late to make it right/I probably wouldn’t if I could,” Maines sings – the direction of her pointed finger is clear.
More so than any other Dixie Chicks record, this is their coming-out album – not as liberals, but as artists. They co-wrote every track (a first) and crafted them with producer Rick Rubin, songwriters Pete Yorn and Gary Louris (The Jayhawks) and a band that included a Red Hot Chili Pepper (drummer Chad Smith) and a couple of Heartbreakers (Petty favorites Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell).|Ricardo Baca
Dr. John
“Mercernary: The Songs of Johnny Mercer”
PIANO BLUES|EMI, released today
Dr. John (a.k.a. gruff-voiced piano player Mac Rebennack) has made a career out of tweaking traditions, especially the voodoo-tinged R&B of his hometown of New Orleans. So it’s no surprise that he’s concentrated on tackling other artists’ work lately.
A cover album of 20th-century jazz-pop standards would seem a good fit for the doctor. But choosing tracks for “Mercernary: The Songs of Johnny Mercer” must have been daunting, since Mercer penned about 1,500 of them. Expected tunes like “Moon River,” “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby” and “That Old Black Magic” are here alongside the not-so-subtle original “I Ain’t No Johnny Mercer.”
Dr. John mostly does a good job with them, divining a strut and pep to the songs with his sparkling ivory work and gritty voice. But unless you’re a rabid fan of Mercer or Dr. John, you may find this overly-polished homage less than compelling.|John Wenzel
Various artists
“Folk Playground”
CHILDREN’S FOLK|Putumayo Kids, released today
“Serious” kid’s music may seem an oxymoronic concept, but the reliably eclectic Putumayo label makes a case for it on its “Folk Playground” compilation, the seventh installment in the Playground series.
Putumayo’s stated purpose of passing along traditional musical forms is aimed at the juice-and-nap set here. Well-worn songs like “This Old Man,” “Polly Wolly Doodle” and “Froggie Went a Courtin”‘ find a crisp, hyper-melodic middle ground and revel in it. Only a few of the artists will really engage an adult ear (Zoe Lewis, Leon Redbone) but that’s not the point. This is lighthearted stuff that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and in doing so will surely delight youngsters.|John Wenzel
Other releases today:
Angels and Airwaves, “We Don’t Need to Whisper” (Geffen) blink-182 sent the pop-punk world into a tizzy when it announced a hiatus. Out of that came numerous side projects and MTV shows, and this, Tom DeLonge’s new band with members of The Distillers, Box Car Racer, Rocket From the Crypt and The Offspring, is the most anticipated.
The Wreckers, “Stand Still Look Pretty” (Maverick) Look to the players – pop singer Michelle Branch and country/folk songwriter Jessica Harp – to clue into the sunny back-porch aesthetics of this new band.
