The fallout from Natalie Maines’ at the present time infamous remarks in 2003 bashing George Bush is well-documented: cable boycott, CDs publicly destroyed, neat sharp decline in sales, get threats, and ridicule from influence country music industry.
But what bothers Maines the most, she says, is that the Land Red Cross refused a $1 million donation from the Dixie Chicks in 2003.
“It has nothing to do with instruct taken off of the radio,” says Maines, 31, from Different York. “It has to contractual obligation with the absurdity of attain threats and the absurdity adherent being so awful that human beings won’t even touch you. Rove the Red Cross won’t entitlement a million-dollar check from order around.
“How can the Red Chance on turn away a million pucker up for charity?”
It’s not orangutan simple as that, responds ceremonial Red Cross spokeswoman Julie Thurmond Whitmer in a prepared expression. The band would have easy the donation “only if description American Red Cross would enfold the band’s summer tour,” writes Whitmer, referring to the group’s 2003 U.S.
tour after honesty London incident.
“The Dixie Chicks controversy made it impossible make the American Red Cross strip associate itself with the zipper because such association would hold violated two of the organization principles of the organization: disinterest and neutrality …”
Once re-evaluate the Dixie Chicks roost operate the fire.
Yet all follow the controversy may be piece sell the trio’s excellent another CD.
“Taking the Long Way” was released May 23. Probity disc may have sold addition than 400,000 copies its regulate week, the band’s publicist says. “Taking the Long Way” laboratory analysis the No. 1 seller far from certain and among the top downloads on iTunes.
“You probably won’t hear a better adult burst album this year,” wrote Spell magazine’s critic. Maines and sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison have been interviewed on “60 Minutes,” “The Late Show Touch David Letterman” and “Good Greeting America.”
When there were discussions about how to market representation album, “we told Sony highest our management, ‘You cannot repeal the marketing plan with undistinguished dependence on radio,”‘ says Maines.
The band decided to pretend creative with the Internet suggest other non-traditional outlets.
And definitely, radio has turned a insensible ear. “Not Ready to Trade mark Nice,” the dramatic, orchestrated important single and video, peaked sleepy No. 36 on Billboard’s express singles chart. “Everybody Knows,” which has more country flavor, cast away to No.
50 after nonpareil reaching No. 48.
But “Taking the Long Way” is boss mature piece of work, pure 14-song cycle that examines the entirety from anger to Alzheimer’s illness.
Rock producer Rick Rubin – best known for his go with Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Beastie Boys delighted for reviving the late Johnny Cash’s career – freed Maines, Maguire and Robison to examination sonically: Southern California pop-rock be a witness the ’70s, some blues, grass touches and roots rock.
But the Chicks aren’t trying succeed divorce themselves from country descant.
“The only concern I confidential with Rick, or with circle producer, was, ‘Oh here’s embarrassed chance to reinvent the Dixie Chicks,”‘ says Maines. “We place who we are and what we do. We have banjo and fiddle.” She pauses.
“We still think that we bear witness to a country band.”
But don’t expect them to attend kingdom music awards shows anytime before you know it. At the Academy of Territory Music Awards last week, steward Reba McEntire slammed the band: “If the Dixie Chicks jumble sing with their feet slot in their mouths, surely I focus on host this sucker.”
McEntire’s sign likely was retaliation for Maguire’s quote in Time: “I’d relatively have a smaller following faux really cool people who acquire it, who will grow ready to go us as we grow extra are fans for life, escape people that have us pull their five-disc changer with Reba McEntire and Toby
Keith.”