RSSAlbum Review: No Surprises on Court Yard Hounds
May 04
Music Comments Off
Dixie Chicks Emily Robison and Martie Maguire recast themselves as the Court Yard Hounds to release a self-titled LP this week. The vibe isn’t a far stretch from a Dixie Chicks release, so fans should fine the duo’s stylings comfortable. If anything, Court Yard Hounds offers no surprises. Nor should it, as Robison herself admitted a lot of songs were written for the Dixie Chicks.
There’s something sleepy about the whole album. Despite a decidedly rock-bent to the music, it takes a few tracks to pick up the tempo. The country anthem Ain’t No Son soars, but then it dials back to mid-tempo. Not that there is a single defective song on the album. But after a long listen, all the mid-tempo numbers start to feel like a drowsy summer day in the 90′s, and there’s a lot of them. Jakob Dylan duets on See You in the Spring, a pining-for-romance with a soft touch. Delight Something New Under the Sun is a radio-friendly number, but it makes you wish there was something new to discover on this album.
Despite any suggestion to the contrary, it’s a good thing that lyrically and melodically this is the Dixie Chicks just the same. Taking the best of what made their music popular, Robison and Maguire wrote a consistent, enjoyable album. Signature harmonies are found everywhere, used like a reliable tool like on the chorus to I Miss You, “I miss you, I can’t wait to kiss you” and on the album’s lead single, The Coast. Closing track Fear of Wasted Time is a wistful way to end the album. You’re glad the Chicks are back, but you kind of wonder if there was something more to discover in their music without third Chick (and the band’s lead singer) Natalie Maines.
As if to drive the point home, the Dixie Chicks have already announced a reunion and tour supporting the Eagles this summer in anticipation of a greatest hits set to be released later this year. The Court Yard Hounds have only a few solo dates on tap as part of Lilith Fair.
