#12 - The Chicks, Home

Release Year: 2002

Genre: Country Americana

How much do I like my favorite track on the album? 14.4 points

Long Time Gone

Another song that teeters on absolute chaos and as soon as it kicks off, I just smile. Maines' vocals are charging and nuanced in a way most people only wish they could be. The harmonies are tight as ever. The banjo. Twang is just right.

How did/does this album influence my own taste in music overall? 11.2 points

This is the score that hurts this album. I don’t listen to any country, at all. However - I will say that this album sort of starts a trend towards the Americana space that people like Chris Stapleton make a killing off of these days.

Does this album hold up since its release? 13.6 points

I still think it’s pretty good.

What percentage of the album do I listen to? 9.16 points

Almost all of it. There’s one (maybe two) skippers on this whole album which is impressive.

What did/do the critics think of this album? 7.5 points

Critics are fairly harsh, without good explanation. And perhaps some of the post hoc will favor the bold here. Also, this album would have likely won Album of the year, but my number 7 entry blocked that from happening.

What is the sentimental value to me of the album? 16 points

I have a huge sentimental attachment to this album. I used to pretend to be them in my bedroom, and really started learning a lot of instruments at this point. Convinced that I could actually become them. Well, that didn’t happen. But, I still do some live performances now and then. Oh, and when I saw them live at Red Rocks in 2022, I would say that just added to the mystique.

What was the artists involvement of the production of the album - songwriting, instrumentals, vocals, uniqueness? 14.4 points

Something interesting when I was compiling this list was finding out that this album was mostly covers from other bands or purchased tracks. I always had thought they wrote most of this album, and I was wrong.

Overall Rating out of 100 points = 86.25 points

The Chicks. This album is near perfect. Martie and Emily’s harmonies with Natalie’s nuanced yet powerful vocals, chef’s kiss. The song selection is also amazing, all of them just fit together for musical perfection. Their two most famous songs from this album are easily in the top 10 cover conversation of all time (Landslide and Travelin’ Soldier). Perhaps the most interesting thing about the album isn’t anything related to music. They were essentially excommunicated from popular culture and became a symbol of political disreent for simply stating their views. Had that happened today, their careers would have skyrocketed. What it led to was some beautiful and politically charged albums (Taking the Long Way (2006) and Gaslighter (2020)) that went under the radar, except to the real fans and ultimately critics. Hindsight is 20/20 here, and they were certainly right with all of their claims. We’ve been there through it all. And we will be waiting for the next.