... On “Fly” they are accompanied by a twelve piece backing band which is supplemented by other session musicians on individual tracks.
Miss Maines has a highly distinctive voice with a broad Texan drawl but paradoxically her diction is so clear that her words are easily heard through it ... Read review
Fly - Dixie Chicks
A much better album than 1998's multi-platinum Wide Open Spaces, the trio refused to rest ... more
on their commercial laurels and pushed the envelope in several directions. The first US single "Ready To Run" and the second track "If I Fall You're Going Down...
Fly - Dixie Chicks
A much better album than 1998's multi-platinumWide Open Spaces, the trio refused to rest ... more
on their commercial laurels and pushed the envelope in several directions. The first US single "Ready To Run" and the second track "If I Fall You're Going Down ...
Fly - CD
Ready To Run If I Fall You're Going Down With Me Cowboy Take Me Away Cold Day In July ... more
Goodbye Earl Hello Mr. Heartache Don't Waste Your Heart Sin Wagon Without You Some Days You Gotta Dance Hole In My Head Heartbreak Town (untitled) Let Hi...
A review by Newfloridian on Fly - Dixie Chicks December 23rd, 2002
Author's product rating:
Originality
Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics
Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks
Flawless
How does it rate alongside the competition
Outstanding
Value for Money
Advantages:
Great all round entertainment . Sassy lasses; sassy songs
Disadvantages:
Too far away - for now
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
The Dixie Chicks were the sensation of the United States in 1999 and this album was instrumental in sparking the rise to the pinnacle of their achievement. They had been around in Texas for about three years not achieving much apart from the Country and Western Circuit. Then they recorded a rather notorious song ‘Goodbye Earl’ which was given a lot of local and then national airplay. This album (which was awarded Grammy) and a nationwide tour followed. I happened to be in Tampa for The Who concert in November 2000. The Chicks played the Ice Palace Arena two days later to a packed house and we couldn’t get tickets.
Since then Natalie and Emily have had time away from the group to have babies. They are back in harness again now with a new album and a 2003 tour.
They haven’t made as much impact in the UK but they did play one concert in London in June 1999.
The Dixie Chicks consists of Natalie Maines (lead singer), Martie Seidel (backing vocals, fiddle) and Emily Robison (backing vocals, banjo and guitar). On “Fly” they are accompanied by a twelve piece backing band which is supplemented by other session musicians on individual tracks.
Miss Maines has a highly distinctive voice with a broad Texan drawl but paradoxically her diction is so clear that her words are easily heard through it and the rich accompaniment of the songs. Martie and Emily are accomplished musicians in their own right. Their sound is a rich mixture of rock, C&W and folk. They had a hand in the writing of most of the songs. They try to emphasise the joys, plights and contrariness of being a young girl – in love, the world, in marriage, in life.
The CD insert has a delightful collection of the girls in a variety of fantasy pursuits – riding a skyrocket, dressed as fairies on a tree branch, issuing out of the fly zip of a pair of jeans, caught like flies on a fly paper, dressed in tight silver and snapped on a country swing. The insert also provides the words of all the songs.
The running order (with my usual marks out of five) is as follows:
1. READY TO RUN (*****) 3:52
The opener is an upbeat bouncy folksy Country and Western meets the Irish. The band plays banjo, fiddle, penny whistle - is that a bodhran I can hear in the background? (according to the cover notes – yes it is).
Here our heroine is not ready to settle down to the humdrum life. As Cyndi Lauper said all those years ago “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”. Supberb voice, superb descant vocals, supberb intricate backing accompaniment.
2. IF I FALL YOU’RE GOING DOWN WITH ME (*****) 3:04
This is a fast paced upbeat country rocker. What does the lady mean when she says “I never felt the earth move honey until you shook my tree”?
3. COWBOY TAKE ME AWAY. (*****) 4:51
A change of pace for this lilting romantic ballad. The middle-8 features a soaring fiddle melody with a piano counterpoint. Here our heroine is happy in the arms of her hero and happy to tell about it.
Do you remember Bread and David Gates? Well, he could have written this tune.
4. COLD DAY IN JULY (*****) 5:12
There is another change of pace for a sad melodic song of lost love. She sounds so alone and frail.
“You said that we were gonna last forever You said that our love would never die It looks like spring and it feels like sunny weather But it’s a cold day in July”
5. GOODBYE EARL (*****) 4:19
A comedy song which was released as a single. This is the story of female revenge on a habitual wife beater. There some delicious black quips in the lyrics if you listen carefully: “Earl walked right though that restraining order and put her in intensive care” and “And it turns out he was a missing person who nobody missed at all.”
Lots of driving rhythm from the percussion, piano and la-la chorus.
This song was written by a well known Nashville C&W writer – Dennis Linde (who also wrote the Elvis hit “Burning Love”). The Dixie Chicks note that they “do not advocate premeditated murder but love getting even”
6. HELLO Mr HEARTACHE (****) 3:49
This is a much more conventional country and western sound of steel and slide guitars, fiddle and accordian. Again this is a tale of lost love but there is defiance in the lyrics and you know that she will bounce back.
7. DON’T WASTE YOUR HEART (****) 2:50
Another a lilting slightly melancholic ballad accompanied by a fiddle and a trip-trap pony rhythm. This time around it’s own heroine that’s dishing the dirt:
“It’s funny how the girls get burned and honey as far as I’m concerned the tables have turned.”
8. SIN WAGON (*****) 3:40
The fastest and most furious paced patter song on the album. This is a song about sin, temptation and salvation (all done in the best possible taste).
“Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition – need a little bit more of my twelve ounce nutrition” and “On a mission to make something happen, feel like Delilah lookin’ for Samson, do a little mattress dancin’, that’s right I said mattress dancing”
Listen to that crazy finger picking banjo, jews’ harp and fiddle!!. This is one to play loud.
9. WITHOUT YOU (****) 3:32
A slower straight ballad – again telling of a girl deserted after sharing love.
10. SOME DAYS YOU GOTTA DANCE (***) 2:30
A somewhat jittery ‘filler’ track this, the sleeve notes show it not to have been written by the girls and comes from 1997.
11. HOLE IN MY HEAD (***) 3:22
Much more rock than C&W here. Natalie shows that she can go raw with her vocals.
12. HEARTBREAK TOWN 3:53
13. AIN’T NO THANG BUT A CHICKIN’ WANG (*)
A one second track to gloss over unlucky thirteen!
14. LET HIM FLY (***) 3:07
Another slow ballad to round off the album.
My CD has a picture of three feet (two right and one left) on the label. Each foot has six chicken feet tattooed on it. I gather from the Dixie Chicks fan club that they agreed to have one tattooed for each milestone of their career. They are currently up to nine apiece and are awaiting a further three.
Advantages: Only gets better with time Disadvantages: Only 14 tracks
...convert to "country pop" if this is representative of the genre.
Buy it.Listen to it.Enjoy it.
I don`t think you`ll be disappointed.
Oh! Why "Fly" ? The "Chicks" say that they have now earned their wings and can fly away from the nest and truly be independent. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Refreshing, energetic, Country with soul Disadvantages: I struggle to see (hear) any
Following the success of their hugely successful debut album 'Wide Open Spaces' the Dixie Chicks second album 'Fly' is yet another phenomenal collection of songs. Personally I didn't think it were possible for them to replicate the amazing sound of the first album with tracks such as 'There's Your Trouble', 'You were mine' and the title track itself 'Wide open spaces'. However, with 'Fly' they have managed to recreate the foot tapping, catchy beats, ... ...a fan of Country as a genre, and having witnessed many country acts live, I certainly have a penchant for such music, however I have yet to hear anybody who has the ability to deliver upbeat numbers that you can dance to, mixed in with soul searching tear jerking ballads, like these girls. Whether you like Country or not.
The first song on the album (featured in the movie, "Runaway Bride') is classic Dixie Chicks. 'Ready to Run' is a feisty number ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Pleasant enough county rock Disadvantages: Needed a ?big one?
...Perhaps, surprisingly given my musical tastes, I really enjoyed the previous album release ?Fly? by the DixieChicks. I certainly wasn?t alone as it was a phenomenal seller in the US and won several music awards to boot. The girls ? Natalie Maines (Lead vocals), Martie Seidel (Fiddle, viola, vocals) and Emily Robison (Guitar, banjo, vocals) - are all accomplished musicians and pleasing on the eye too. Although they have not made much impact in the UK, I felt it would be reasonable to buy their new output ?Home? unheard.
What with marriages, liaisons, babies and wrangling over contract with record labels, there has probably not been much time for singing recently. Consequently there has been a gap of almost three years between these albums and a change of record label.
The DixieChicks have built up a reputation of being an amalgam...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Good mix of up-tempo and slower tracks, catchy, good lyrics Disadvantages: I fail to find any disadvantages!
...I was introduced to Garth Brooks at a young age, and despite having the likes of Nirvana and Guns n Roses frequently in my CD player, country music found a place in my heart and in my CD rack. DixieChicks have since been a favourite of mine, and Wide Open Spaces, and Fly never fail to come out every year as soon as I spot a bit of sunshine. I was eagerly awaiting their latest album Taking the Long Way, and bought it as soon as it came out last year. I was not disappointed. I consider all of their previous albums as some of the best in my collection, but their latest effort beats them all. This album has been in almost constant play on my i-pod since i got it.
The first track after which the album is titled, is an up-tempo feel good tune, and my personal favourite on the album. The following songs 'easy silence' and 'not ready to...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Great harmony, great lyrics, feels great to move to. Disadvantages: Can be considered "Chick Music"
...My dog done left me, my woman’s cheating on me while I sit in jail and wish I had a beer and missin my Mama. I honestly thought that most country music consisted of men singing about their dogs, their pick-up trucks, their bad women, railroads and jail. I hated country music. Then I moved down south, where it is a law that you listen to only country music.
Well, not actually a law, but it is pretty hard to find a music station that plays anything but country. So, stuck in the land of hayseed cowboys, I found myself listening to more and more country. And to my surprise, I was liking it. It wasn’t all men. There was Shania Twain, Rebba MacIntyre, Tanya Tucker to name a few. And the DixieChicks.
The DixieChicks first caught my attention with a song called Goodbye Earl, from their Fly CD. So, I went in search...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
This product has not yet been reviewed. 
11.06.2007
