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| Mother 2013 |
656 Miles To Go
"You got a gift. When you were a baby, the Gods reached down and turned your right arm into a thunderbolt."
- Crash Davis in Bull Durham
It's uncertain what kind of fast ball Natalie Maines throws, but there's no doubt the Gods had something to do with her vocal chords of gold. (Being the daughter of master musician Lloyd Maines probably didn't hurt either.)
In her solo debut Mother, she attacks her craft in a completely new direction with the soaring vocal style that played a key role in making the Dixie Chicks so successful, artistically and commercially.
Maines will be forever linked with the Chicks and the crazy controversy over her "ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas" remark.
For all that the incident took away, it also freed Maines and the band to move into whatever musical veins it wants and, now, allow its lead singer to explore the rock 'n' roll roads without ever looking back at the country.
She's even ditched her blonde Dixie Chicks look for a short brunette cut that's punk rock tight on the sides.
Most of the songs are covers from artists as diverse as Pearl Jam (Without You), Pink Floyd (Mother), Patty Griffin (Silver Bell), Jeff Buckley (Lover You Should've Come Over) and The Jayhawks (I'd Run Away).
Free Life comes from Dan Wilson, who co-wrote six songs from Taking The Long Way including Not Ready To Make Nice. Come Cryin' To Me is an unreleased cut from those sessions.
Because most of these selections are outside of the mainstream, they'll play like new songs for many.
Ben Harper is Maines' chief co-conspirator on the project. He writes, plays, co-produces with Maines and brings his band along for the gig - guitarist Jason Mozersky, bassist Jess Ingalls and drummer Jordan Richardson.
Maines sing/talks the ultra-paranoid (bombs, guns, government) Mother with her crystal clear enunciation for an even starker version than Pink Floyd's original from The Wall, all irony probably intended given her 2003 "W." experience. It's also almost impossible not to bust into a Beavis & Butthead routine every time she asks, "Mother, do you think they'll try to break my balls?"
She brings the yearning on Lover You Should've Come Over, Vein In Vain and the closer Take It On Faith. The last two were co-written with Harper, Mozersky and Ingalls.
She duels with the guitars on Silver Bell and Come Cryin' To Me, and shows off her range on Free Life and I'd Run Away; both rate as perfect pairings with Maines' voice.
Only Without You and the duet with Harper on Trained fall a little flat.
Mother proves there's plenty of wide open spaces for Maines as she moves forward with and without the Dixie Chicks.
She can certainly play the role of interpreter on the paths previously taken by contemporaries such as Linda Ronstadt and Willie Nelson. Moreover, the world will always need the Dixie Chicks whether it's with new material or not.
Here's hoping Maines finds a way to scratch all the right future itches for herself and her audience. We just need the time in labor to be less than Mother took to finally be born.
Song For The Soundtrack: Silver Bell
- Crash Davis in Bull Durham
It's uncertain what kind of fast ball Natalie Maines throws, but there's no doubt the Gods had something to do with her vocal chords of gold. (Being the daughter of master musician Lloyd Maines probably didn't hurt either.)
In her solo debut Mother, she attacks her craft in a completely new direction with the soaring vocal style that played a key role in making the Dixie Chicks so successful, artistically and commercially.
Maines will be forever linked with the Chicks and the crazy controversy over her "ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas" remark.
For all that the incident took away, it also freed Maines and the band to move into whatever musical veins it wants and, now, allow its lead singer to explore the rock 'n' roll roads without ever looking back at the country.
She's even ditched her blonde Dixie Chicks look for a short brunette cut that's punk rock tight on the sides.
Most of the songs are covers from artists as diverse as Pearl Jam (Without You), Pink Floyd (Mother), Patty Griffin (Silver Bell), Jeff Buckley (Lover You Should've Come Over) and The Jayhawks (I'd Run Away).
Free Life comes from Dan Wilson, who co-wrote six songs from Taking The Long Way including Not Ready To Make Nice. Come Cryin' To Me is an unreleased cut from those sessions.
Because most of these selections are outside of the mainstream, they'll play like new songs for many.
Ben Harper is Maines' chief co-conspirator on the project. He writes, plays, co-produces with Maines and brings his band along for the gig - guitarist Jason Mozersky, bassist Jess Ingalls and drummer Jordan Richardson.
Maines sing/talks the ultra-paranoid (bombs, guns, government) Mother with her crystal clear enunciation for an even starker version than Pink Floyd's original from The Wall, all irony probably intended given her 2003 "W." experience. It's also almost impossible not to bust into a Beavis & Butthead routine every time she asks, "Mother, do you think they'll try to break my balls?"
She brings the yearning on Lover You Should've Come Over, Vein In Vain and the closer Take It On Faith. The last two were co-written with Harper, Mozersky and Ingalls.
She duels with the guitars on Silver Bell and Come Cryin' To Me, and shows off her range on Free Life and I'd Run Away; both rate as perfect pairings with Maines' voice.
Only Without You and the duet with Harper on Trained fall a little flat.
Mother proves there's plenty of wide open spaces for Maines as she moves forward with and without the Dixie Chicks.
She can certainly play the role of interpreter on the paths previously taken by contemporaries such as Linda Ronstadt and Willie Nelson. Moreover, the world will always need the Dixie Chicks whether it's with new material or not.
Here's hoping Maines finds a way to scratch all the right future itches for herself and her audience. We just need the time in labor to be less than Mother took to finally be born.
Song For The Soundtrack: Silver Bell
Running Data For Tuesday, May 14:
5.02 Miles
52:44
Mileage In The Change Jar: 0.60 Miles
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