Disco de Dixie Chicks: “Shouldn't a Told You That”

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.

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.

This CD is available though hard to find. Must have for all chicks fans. More of martie's and Emily's instrumental prowess on display,great lead guitar by Matthew Benjamin. Laura Lynch, predecessar to Natalie has a nice smooth voice. Best song sang by Martie called "I wasn't looking for you. Great sound quality and mix on CD.

I always knew there had been an album prior to Wide Open Spaces and now I've confirmed the fact that I'm not totally insane by listening to Shouldn't A Told You That! The Chicks have been around for awhile and they just keep getting better!! The Banjo & Fiddle give them just the right amount of Bluegrass sound along with the upbeat tempo and lyrics to make a song smooth and enjoyable to listen too! Keep Up The Good Work Girls, I'm a fan for life!!

when Robin was with the Chicks it was so much better. I would love to buy this. I also like any songs written for the early chicks by Lisa Brandenburg. Awesome song writer.