Customer Reviews
wow! i love it! - By: Iain Campbell, 24 Jun 2008 
I bought this album for two reasons. First & foremost, the music is so beautiful, original & real compared to most of the other stuff about at the moment. The second reason is my support of free speech, especially when what is said is correct! The way the chicks (particularly natalie) were treated was horrendous & genuinely unbelievable but it has only made them stronger & theyve come back better than ever. From a first glance at the album cover you know what youre about to listen to is going to be interesting. The girls have matured so much, & if you contrast the covers of this & 'Home' of 5 years back you would struggle to believe it is the same chicks! Then again, alot has happenedin their lives between the making of these two albums. The lyrics reflect this, with more or less every song reflecting the theme of change, & the persecution they recieved for it. Included is lead single 'i'm not ready to make nice', their way of saying they ain't gonna apologize for speaking their mind, & 'Lubbock or leave it', a swipe at the hypocritical far-right conservatives of 'the bible belt'. There are however softer moments such as lullaby (as the title suggests.)
Allin all, the chicks have gone for a more rock & roll orientated sound, while still maintaining their country roots. Their sound is alot more contemporary & accesible to non-country fans. Natalie summed this up herself when speaking to time magazine. She said "I'd rather have a smaller following of really cool people who get it, who will grow with us as we grow & are fans for life, than people that have usin their five-disc changer with Reba McEntire & Toby Keith." They may have lost millions of fans for their remarks, but the chicks are not the ones who lose out. It's those so called 'fans'.
DUNIT AGAIN - By: A. D. Parsons, 17 Nov 2007 I CAN WAIT TO GET MY COPY OF THIS ALBUM BECAUSE IT LOOK'S LIKE THE'VE DONE IT AGAIN,I DONT THINK THEY CAN MAKE A BAD RECORD.TONY PARSONS
On A Different Level - By: R. Trotman, 30 Jul 2007 
"It has vibes of Stevie Nicks & Fleetwood Mac".
Quite, if I hadn't read the sleeve notes, I'd be convinced that Lindsey Buckingham himself had co-written, or even played on one or two tracks, namely "Lullaby", echoes of his workin "Silver Springs" & "Lubbock Or Leave It".
I bought the album today & have played it non stop, all day!
I already had "Home" & revisited it a few days ago, which prompted me to go out & buy this one.
I love "Home", it's slick, melodic, with some of the most well crafted songs I've ever heard.
I was expecting more of the same on this album & was pleasantly surprised to find that, for me, they've moved up another level.
Apart from Fleetwood Mac & The Eagles, one track sounds very reminiscent of "Journey Of The Sorceror", I felt very much about this album, as I did when I first heard K.D. Lang's "Angel With A Lariat", i.e. that they've taken country far beyond the stuff my dad used to make me listen toin order to think there was something of valuein the genre..something I've long since acknowledged!
I agree with some of the comments about the first 7 or so tracks being very instant, I listened to itin the car, after first buying it & found some of the later tracks began to "grate" a little & sounded a little too intense one after the other, particularlyin the vocals,that said, it's not going to put me off giving them a few more listens..
Trouble is, people seem to want bands/artists to stick to well trodden formulas & just produce carbon copies of their "popular" work, which is what, I think kills off some bands like ABBA, when they try & branch out, some of the general public & even some their fans, won't forgive them!
One of the standout tracks for me, is, on the first couple of listens, "Lullaby", which is so moving, musically speaking it's about as close to an "original" sound that I've heardin some time & builds layer upon layer of texture, involving deft, little instrumental & vocal touches, such as a descending piano, after the 2nd use of the line "like a serenade", which is so exquisite, a "simple" two chord trick & a much more experimental attempt at a lullaby than, the gorgeous "Godspeed", from the previous album, but like ABBAs "Like An Angel Passing Through My Room", the sort of song that I'd happily play just before lights out!
Another is "Not Ready To Make Nice"..the first time I heard this, as a single, I thought it was about a relationship with a lover, but having really "heard" the lyrics & read about their context, it's even more moving & apart from applauding them for standing up to be counted, rather than doing the whole 1914 routine, I'm staggered, if it's true, that someone would receive death threats as a result of expressing their right to free speech.
I agree with Bush when he says repeatedly, likes it's a mantra, & then smirks & does what he wants regardless, that the "great thing" about livingin America/Britain, is that people are supposed to be "free to protest" unlikein Saddam's Iraq, it seems that some of our more jingoistic fellow citizensin both countries, don't get that!
So, it's "anti Bush", I'd say we need to hear from Americans who DON'T believe it's their "God given", right to ride rough shod over the rest of the planet!
Politically, it's brave, considering their roots, musically it's very left of centre also.
I live to be convinced by the later tracks, maybe 14 was too many, too ambitious?
Nevertheless, if they come a touring over here again, I'd certainly move heaven & earth to see them.
Rich.
x
a real grower... - By: pompeyman, 29 Jul 2007 first 6 tracks I loved immediately, particularly Not Ready To Make Nice, but was very unsure about the rest. Now after a few more plays I have changed my mind. There is actually a better track on the second half, called Voice Inside My Head. Other great tracks are Silent House,Baby Hold On, Favorite Year,So Hard. In fact there are just 2 tracks I am not keen on, Lubbock or Leave It ( too rocky ) & I Hope ( too gospel ).So thats 12 great tracks & just 2 I skip.This album just gets better & better the more you hear it.
Brilliant! - By: N. A. Robinson, 11 Jul 2007 Great sounding music from great looking "Chicks". This album is superb! There is not a bad track on the album & the song lyrics & musicianship are excellent. I tend to think of country music as being about cowboys singing crap songs about riding freight trains across the USA or sitting on "her pappy's porch after midnight". This album is nothing like that. It is dynamic, original & vibrant.
The album is also an excellent riposte to those who slaughtered the group for criticizing the Dubya regimein the States. For that alone it gets 5 stars!
