Wide Open Spaces, Dixie Chicks, 1998, :44
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
This is real country bluegrass, but with tinges of pop. To me it's a little too polished, and lacks that feisty down-home snap of, say, Dolly Parton. Fun fact: my middle school English teacher was in this group before it got famous. She left because they were getting too poppy. She wasn't wrong; still, though, the country twang is also pure at times, like on 'Tonight the Heartache's On Me" or "Give It Up Or Let Me Go." The ballads, like "I'll Take Care of You," are really quite well-done, but just not my favorite thing. Favorite tracks: "There's Your Trouble," "I Can Love You Better," "Let 'Er Rip."
