Taking The Long Way

[It] embraces the depth and fury of classic rock while remaining true to the trio's Texas roots. [18 May 2006, p.226]

Apart from the political material, they’ve rustled up some of their most gorgeous melodies.

There's still some banjo-pickin' and fiddle-playing, but The Long Way's clean, soft-rockin' vibe is striking in contrast to the traditional bluegrassy leanings of 2002's Home.

[The] lack of zest in the production is forgivable because Taking the Long Way is otherwise a strong, confident affair.

It's another good one. [Jul 2006, p.100]

With The Long Way Around, the Chicks haven't turned a corner as much as locked horns with their recent past, their spirituality and spunk intact, heroines on the side of truth.

The Texas trio sounds like a new group.

Those voices alone are enough to devastate, and they’re the reason this album deserves mention among the year’s best.

On first listen, Taking the Long Way seems too somber--in need of a bit of levity and more than a couple of uptempo songs (like the sexy, '60s-flavored "I Like It") to resonate for the long haul. It also seems to lack the writing quality that Darrell Scott, Patty Griffin, and Bruce Robison brought to Home. But on repeated plays, those concerns dissipate.

This album has some of what was missing from Home: fire, ugliness, resentment. [Jun 2006, p.135]

The first-time pairing with Rubin has resulted in a surprisingly cohesive mix of country and rock tunes.

The development in their songwriting is dramatic. [Jul 2006, p.90]

Taking the Long Way wraps its still-raw emotions in sweet satin sheets of breezy, middle-of-the-road pop. While there are still some country elements, the album mostly exists in that top-down netherworld of Sheryl Crow albums and Tom Petty's "Learning to Fly."

If anything, Taking The Long Way is overly blunt, as though the group felt it has an image to maintain. The anger feels calculated.

Ironically, just as they have become a liberal cause célèbre, the Dixie Chicks sound more conservative than ever.

The bulk sounds little different from most of what passes for mainstream country these days. [Jul 2006, p.113]