Court Yard Hounds

Recently, thinking that it was ages since the Dixie Chicks had released new material, I Yahoo'd them to see if anything was due out and found mention of this side project.

Being a fan, I had no hesitation in ordering the album anyway but hearing the four tracks on the official site confirmed I wouldn't be disappointed. 'The Coast' instantly had me singing along.

I'm on my third listen of the CD while writing this review and gets better every time I hear it.

The songs are so evocative, I'm up in the loft looking at the 'Skyline', at 'The Coast' (given added poigniancy given what has happened with the oil leak) and on the porch in a rocking chair with a beer in hand.

It's a real shame that here in the UK the likelihood is that only DC fans will be buying this album (if they even know about it). It straddles a number of musical genres and calling it "country" is misleading.

Standout tracks for me include the two I have already mentioned, along with 'See You In The Spring' (a duet with Jakob Dylan), 'Fairy Tale', 'I Miss You' and 'It Didn't Make A Sound'.

There isn't a bad track here. Songs written from the heart that really make you think.

Never afraid to tackle "controversial" issues, the rocky 'Ain't No Son' deals with a father's rejection of his gay son (surely every parent should be prepared for this possibility?).

Regular readers will know that I am a fan of bonus tracks and arriving the same day was a Deluxe Edition CD/DVD set (sold by the US retailer Target), with two extra tracks (both superb) and a Making Of featurette.

I gather the album has already been successful in the US and Canada and I hope the record company make the effort to promote it everywhere else, as it deserves to be a big seller.

I hope to see the ladies touring this material in smaller venues later this year.

The big question here is, inevitably, can two thirds of the Dixie Chicks
match the majesty of the whole? Is life manageable without Ms Maines?

Sisters Emily Robison and Martie Maguire have struck out on their own
and with their pseudonymous debut 'Court Yard Hounds' have delivered a
perfectly respectable little album. (Truth-be-told it could never really have
been a dog's dinner in the hands of seasoned talent as good as this!)

Ms Robison takes the lion's share of the vocals and makes a very good
job of it. Her voice is bright and clear and sweet and has the capacity to
find the emotional heart of each song she sings. (The white-hot passion
of Ms Maines is missing however). Ms Maguire steps up to the mike on
her own composition, the gently lilting ballad 'Gracefully' and is certainly
no second fiddle in the vocal stakes. The song is one of the album's
highpoints. The lovely string arrangement echoes some of D.C's most
wistfully memorable moments.
Ms Robison co-wrote seven of the tracks with guitarist Martin Strayer,
three on her own and one more together with Ms Maguire. The sum total
of their efforts are united in a warm co-production with sound engineer
maestro Jim Scott who keeps everything moving nicely in the right direction.

Among the finest compositions, opening track 'Skyline' has a languid,
somewhat bluesy melody enhanced by those glorious trademark harmonies
which we all know and love; 'See You In The Spring' (a duet with Jakob Dylan
singing for his supper) finds both performers bringing out the best in each
other in this beautifully unforced and unaffected performance; 'April's Love'
is a magical stripped-down number for voice, guitar and violin which succeeds
by virtue of its uncluttered simplicity.
On the more raucous side of life 'The Coast', 'I Miss You' and 'Then Again' are
all mid-paced, well-managed rockers. More than good enough but not great.
For a bit of fire in the belly we must turn towards 'Ain't No Son', which after
a brief, deceptively homely, bluegrass introduction bursts into bloom with
a big rough and ready arrangement , nicely at odds with the finely crafted
and polished ambience of the rest of the album. The Sisters spit out the
abrasive harmonies like they really mean business!

As a stepping stone from the D.C's 2006 release 'Taking The Long Way',
to who knows what and where next, Ms Robison and Ms Maguire have
given us something very wholesome to enjoy in the meantime.

Recommended.

Take Natalie Manines from the Dixie Chicks and what do you get? Suprisingly you seem to get Sheryl Crow for most of this album as the sisters sound a lot like her on most of the tracks and the style is very similar to Sheryl's accoustic side. The opening track 'Skyline' is a gentle accoustic number and a little misleading to the rest of the album. It could almost be a gentler DC number. Track 2 'The Coast' is very Sheryl Crow in style and content especially the harmonies. 'Delight' starts off with a light bubbly beat then moves into another Crow sound-alike. 'See you in the spring'; a duet with Jakob Dylan sounds more DC in style with its opening banjo and could easily have been on a new Chicks album. 'Ain't no son' also starts with banjo and fiddle but quickly moves into a rockier number with electric guitars and even an organ beefing things up. This is a good rocky number and one of the album's highlights for me. Track 6 is 'Fairytale' and returns to the Crow style. 'I miss you' starts in a traditional country style with slide guitar and a upbeat tempo. Next track up is 'Gracefully', a slow number, lyrical and sad. This is followed by 'April's Love', another gentle song. 'Then again' leads in with a good beat and is a country rock number in the Sheryl Crow style. 'It didn't make a sound' once again starts with a banjo and is a traditional country number over a good tinhat beat. The album closes with 'Fear of wasted time', another gentle song which also sounds like Sheryl, and that is not a bad thing as I've always rated her as an artist. This is a very worthwhile side project for the girls to undertake and I'm sure they enjoyed exploring a different side of country music but I have to say if you know a Sheryl Crow fan point them towards this and lets help spread the word a little wider.