This came out in 2002 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
“Been a long time gone,” says Natalie Maines on the first cut of Dixie Chicks’ CD Home. Actually, it’s only been three years since their last disc Fly, but you can see how it feels longer to the Chicks, what with the lawsuits and marriages and babies that seem to have occupied much of their time since then.
Not surprisingly after all those changes, Home finds these former sweethearts of the rodeo re-emerging as older, wiser, more soulful and mature women. Produced by Natalie’s country-legend pa Lloyd, these dozen cuts re-unite the gals with their bluegrass roots. Say goodbye to silly roots-pop ditties like Goodbye Earl; instead, say hello to romantic, soul-searching narratives of broken hearts and fallen soldiers, set against an authentic backdrop of rustic Americana instrumentation and hoedown arrangements. Sure, a couple of cuts nod slightly toward commerciality — Long Time Gone is a sharp poke at today’s Nashville, White Trash Wedding is a silly , willy-nilly hillbilly breakdown and a cover of Stevie Nicks’ Landslide is quietly gorgeous. But mostly, it seems obvious that Home is where the Dixie Chicks’ hearts are now.
