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Robison and Maguire prove capable of crafting galloping, catchy choruses for such songs as "The Coast," "Ain't No Son," "It Didn't Make a Sound" and "I Miss You."
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Though neither boasts Maines’ forcefulness, they invest these tales of severed connections with an emotional intensity that elevates even weaker tracks like “Fairytale” and “Then Again.”
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Quiet cuts like ''Skyline'' emphasize their down-home vocals. But ''The Coast'' is sunny pop, while ''Ain't No Son'' rocks harder than ''Goodbye Earl.''
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That the songs are solidly constructed gives Court Yard Hounds ample opportunity to play around with structure and production.
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The songs and the sentiments ring of honest emotion, but not consistently of inspired lyric writing, and for all the well-considered inner reflection, you wish these Hounds had channeled a bit more of Maines' bark and bite.
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UncutA deceptively sweet concoction. [Aug 2010, p.79]
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Q MagazineEssentially, it's another Dixie Chicks record with Robison's more expressive vocals replacing Maines's twang. [July 2010, p. 129]
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Perhaps the results are predictable, but they are satisfying, and it’s better to have new music from this duo than none at all.
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Robison's focus, on introspective ruminations and the vagaries of relationships, is relentlessly earnest. And as well-played as the music can be, lyrically it’s a very bumpy ride.
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Natalie Maines' feistiness is missed, but Robison, who wrote most of the songs, has a way with a hook--and those harmonies make even the weepiest weepers go down smooth.
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While Court Yard Hounds is a well-packaged and produced collection, its songs seem rather ordinary compared to Chicks material