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"Fly"
After the roaring success of Wide Open
Spaces--a blend of turn-of-the-century pop and country traditionalism--what
do you do for an encore? Rather than deliver more of the same,
the Chicks have chosen instead to up the ante in country radio
with a follow-up that's both poppier and twangier than its predecessor,
and just plain better too. Some of it we've heard before: "Hello
Mr. Heartache," for example, adheres pretty closely to the
honky-tonk model of "Tonight the Heartache's On Me."
Mostly, though, the record lights out for new territories. "Without
You" is driven by an in-your-face string arrangement that's
downright fierce, and the rootsy "Sin Wagon" may rock
harder--and with more solos--than any mainstream country since
Buck Owens held forth. That's not to say Fly's perfect. A couple
of songs miss the mark, particularly "Goodbye Earl,"
an abusive-husband murder song that's sure to get criticized
(wrongly) for being antimale but actually fails because it can't
decide if it's a moral lesson, a horror movie, or a joke. Still,
even in this failure,they are bravely pushing the envelope. If
they push hard enough, maybe Young Country radio will open up
some wider spaces. --David Cantwell |
