Dixie Chicks Album: “Little Ol' Cowgirl”

The first thing to say about this album is that it is very different in style from the music that most people expect from the Dixie Chicks. It has elements of folk, country and bluegrass but no pop whatsoever.

For this album, the line-up was Laura Lynch, Robin Lynn Macy, Martie Erwin and Emily Erwin. Before the Chicks became famous, Robin and Laura left. Robin later became a member of Domestic Science Club. Martie and Emily stayed and were joined by Natalie Maines. On this album, Robin and Laura took turns as lead singer, except for one instrumental track. Banjo (played by Emily) and fiddle (played by Martie) are the dominant instruments.

There are some interesting covers of A road is just a road (Mary Chapin Carpenter), Past the point of rescue (Hal Ketchum), Hallelujah I love him/her so (Ray Charles) and You send me (Sam Cooke), all of which sound very different from the originals, but I love them. There's also a brilliant Irish medley. Most, if not all, of the other songs are originals, several being written by members of the group.

Although I loved this album when I first heard it - and still do - it is very un-commercial and I was therefore taken by surprise when I learned that the Dixie Chicks had made it big time. Somehow, they managed to commercialise their sound while still remaining distinctive - no mean achievement.

This is a fascinating album of a remarkably high quality, but it is a much more rural form of music than the commercial music they became famous for after Natalie replaced Robin and Laura.

Their best pre-Natalie Maines album, in my opinion, was "Thank Heavens for Dale Evans"--but that doesn't mean I don't love this one too! In addition to the other influences already mentioned, I really hear Bob Wills on this album, especially the title track.

Whatever else one may say about them, they don't sound quite like anybody else and nobody else sounds quite like them, a rarity in this age of bland, overproduced pop music; they took a bunch of different influences and blended them into something all their own.

The humble beginnings of the Dixie Chicks -- a nice indie effort, which ranges from stringband swing and singer-songwriterish Americana to would-be Nashville demos and cutesy covers of 'Fifties oldies such as Ray Charles' "Hallelujah I Love Her So" and Sam Cooke's "You Send Me." In this pre-Natalie Maines version of the band, guitar and bass are provided by Robin Lynn Macy and Laura Lynch -- the Pete Bests of "young country" -- who also both handle the primary songwriting and singing chores. This album has its weak points and its charms; certainly, the spirit of Nanci Griffith hangs heavily over the whole album, and the band's indie-Americana origins are easy to spot. Released on a small Dallas-based indie label, Crystal Clear Sound.

This is the 1992 independent release and second recording of the pre-Natalie Maines Dixie Chicks featuring the then Erwin sisters Martie and Emily, along with vocalist bass player Laura Lynch and vocalist guitar player Robin Macy.

The fourteen tracks include the title track and Two of a Kind by John Ims, Mary Chapin Carpenter's A Road Is Just A Road, an original bluegrass instrumental by Martie and Matthew Benjamin, Beatin' Around the Bush, Bob Millard's She'll Find Better Things to Do, three traditional Irish tunes in an Irish Medley and Robin Macy's Just a Bit Like Me. Also included are the country gospel-tinged Standin' by the Bedside, Patti Dixon's A Heart That Can, Robin Macy and Lisa Brandenburg's Aunt Mattie's Quilt, Ray Charles' standard Hallelujah, I Just Love Him So and Laura and Martie's fun Pink Toenails. Of special note is the unique version of Sam Cooke's R&B classic You Send Me, which starts out as a smooth cover, with Laura Lynch's beguilingly seductive voice, only to explode into a genre-blurring Marvin-and-Mavis-Smiley-style bluegrass breakdown at the end.

This recording, second of the three "pre-Natalie" Dixie Chick releases and the final album as a quartet, shows distinct growth artistically and a change in musical direction. The song choices are more eclectic and, with the addition of Tom Van Schaik on percussion, the sound is decidely less bluegrass and more polished. Those terms are not necessarily mutually exclusive, except that in the context of this particular era of the Chicks' history, they are.

Judging from its hard-to-find status, this album continues to be regarded by serious Chick fans as a crucial transitional work when tracing the musical history of the group. Lynch's clear sweet voice again shines in both Ims' songs, and is equally terrific on A Heart That Can, Pink Toenails and, of course, You Send Me. Lloyd Maines, Natalie's dad and veteran steel guitar session man, plays on three tracks.

as a dixie chicks fan I found the music to be sub-par. The audio itself was good, mThe tape was in excelent condition. By listening to this taper I cam understand why Natalie was brought in.