Dixie Chicks - Shouldn't a Told You That

Love the old stuff also!

This is very different from what you get with Natalie as lead singer, but it is great music. Their other older albums are awesome too! Love these girls...they are so very talented! December 15, 2006

Another egg laid by the Chickens

Shouldn't have made this album. What drivil. Don't waste your money or time. December 12, 2006

Not Bad, but

Not as consistently good as "Thank Heavens for Dale Evans", but definitely worth having. You can definitely hear the sound getting more "packaged" as the girls try to make it big and move away from their bluegrass roots, and the increased slickness makes for a less interesting record, but this is still great music!

It's the beginning of the end--maybe even the end of the end--for Laura Lynch, though. The more contemporary sound of this album does her no favors (I thought she was ideally suited to the more nostalgic style of "Thank Heavens for Dale Evans"). The bluegrass-style rough edges are gone, paving the way for the totally different (but also wonderful, in my opinion) edginess of Natalie Maines, which is what really made these girls big stars in the end. December 23, 2005

The best of their early indie albums

This is the first album I heard the Dixie Chicks on, and for years I had them fixed in my mind as this nice, unassuming alt.country act, not realizing for some time what a huge success they'd become in Nashville. The act noticibly starts to tighten up, first with the loss of songwriter Robin Lynn Macy, and the inclusion of much more material by outside composers, such as Jim Lauderdale, Kim Richey and Jamie O'Hare. The catchy Radney Foster tune, "Whistles And Bells," is still one of my favorite DC songs, but after that opening salvo, the band's newfound professionalism is readily apparent -- the basic building blocks of their sound are all in place here, and the Erwin sisters, Emily and Martie, are beginning to assert themselves as lead singers and songwriters. More bad news for lead singer Laura Lynch: Lloyd Maines, Natalie's daddy, was brought in to play pedal steel on a few tracks, and thus, the writing's on the wall. Fans of the Chick's Top 40 Nashville hits will find this the most accessible and familiar-sounding of their early indie albums. It's slick, solidly produced and yet still soulful. April 2, 2003

Not What You Might Expect From The Chicks..

Well, I must say that, while this is an amazing album, it is nothing like what fans of "Wide Open Spaces" and "Fly" will expect. The leading lady on this CD, Laura Lynch, sounds nothing like Natalie Maines, the current lead singer of the Dixie Chicks.

1. "Whistles and Bells" Great country song, sounds like the old days of the Grand 'Ole Opry. Very traditional song, "Whistles and Bells won't ever bring you love and happiness, She's never gonna give her heart the way that I would give." A very beautiful song worth listening to.

2. "I'm Falling Again" Written and sung so smoothly and simply, it just stays with you from the moment you hear it. "We're destined to win, I'm falling again- right back where I been" A sweet, tender love song, very expressive banjo.

3. "Shouldn't A Told You That" I actually don't understand the title of this fast paced, square dancing-themed, very catchy title track. "I'm only human, he shouldn't a told me that." A fabulous song, the best fast song of the album. Very good instrumental riffs and vocals.

4. "Desire" "I can't undo what's been done when the web's already spun, I got caught up in desire" Just a fast, fun, beautiful, emotional song. Although, "Can't Undo What's Been Done" might have been a more appropriate title.

5. "There Goes My Dream" Starts off sounding a bit like "Cold Day In July," then reverts to what sounds like "I'm Falling Again" with different lyrics. My favorite of the album, beautiful, melancholy and sorrowful.

The rest of the album SERIOUSLY drags. "Planet of Love" is a torture session, sheer misery! "I've Only Got Myself To Blame" could have been much better with a little more effort in the tune, but as it is, it's barely worth mentioning. The other three songs are okay, but just don't have any passion or thought in the lyrics, it's as though Laura is merely reading the words from a sheet of paper and struggling to stay on key. And it isn't working. I feel I must warn that Laura's voice isn't as powerful as Natalie's, it's a very traditionally folk song voice, but it packs no power, no passion for what she's singing. Also, the songs on here are either love ballads, or slow songs stating a regretted afair. Nothing has the quirkiness of "Don't Waste Your Heart," "Goodbye Earl" or "Tonight The Heartache's On Me."

I still recommend this CD, just don't expect it to be anything like "Fly" or "Wide Open Spaces." "Shouldn't A Told You" demonstrates a very classical country sound and style with a very simple theme and little creativity between songs, which isn't always a bad thing. August 6, 2001

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