Continuing my look at the albums of 2006…
I came very close to putting the Dixie Chicks album Taking the Long Way on my personal top ten of 2006, but listening to it again I realized I’m very enthused by about half of its tracks and could give or take the rest.
But I definitely wanted to feature it this week because it’s a milestone record with artistic, commercial, and political import — the rare album of true historic cultural significance.
The 2006 album Taking the Long Way was The Chicks’ first following the fallout over lead singer Natalie Maines’ criticism over then-president George W. Bush. Though they had been blacklisted by country radio and received death threats from angry idiots, they ended up recording one of the best-received records of their career.
The album went double-platinum, a far cry from three previous albums that sold three to five times as many copies but still impressive. And it won five Grammys, including Album, Song and Record of the Year. They might have lost a ton of fans, but they gained a ton more.
I’m off for a week with my family, vacationing in the mountains of North Carolina. While traveling during the coronavirus pandemic isn’t advised, I think we’re actually safer outside of my home state of Florida, where cases are skyrocketing and the idiot governor has his head in the sand.
This week I’ll feature five new releases from a wide range of artists, offering just a few words about each.
Meet Me In Montauk 