Home (Dixie Chicks album)

Home is the sixth studio album by American country music band Dixie Chicks, released on August 27, 2002, through Monument and Columbia Records. It is notable for its acoustic bluegrass sound, which stands in contrast with their previous two country pop albums.

While touring for the album, the Dixie Chicks publicly criticized the US president, George W. Bush, triggering a backlash. The third single, "Travelin' Soldier", was #1 on the Billboard Country Chart the week that Maines' comments hit the press.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The following week, as many stations started a still-standing boycott of the Chicks' music, the song collapsed. None of their following singles gained traction with country radio. Despite these events, the album was certified 6× Multi-platinum status by the RIAA and has sold 5,979,000 copies in the United States up to November 2008.<ref>Grein, Paul. "Chart Watch Extra: Ropin' The Biggest Country Hits" Template:Webarchive. Yahoo! Music. November 7, 2008.</ref> The album also featured a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide", which was their biggest pop crossover hit until 2007, when "Not Ready to Make Nice" peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was also successful in Australia, in its 175th week in the country charts it was certified Triple Platinum for shipments of 210,000 copies.<ref>Top 20 Country Chart – Australian Record Industry Association</ref>

The album was nominated at the 45th Grammy Awards for six awards, including their second attempt for Album of the Year. The group went home with four in 2003, including Best Country Album, Best Recording Package, Best Country Instrumental Performance for "Lil' Jack Slade", and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Long Time Gone". Additionally, they were nominated for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical and Darrell Scott was nominated for Best Country Song for Long Time Gone. Two years later, they were nominated and won Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, this time for "Top of the World". It debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart and stayed there for four non-consecutive weeks. It also debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums, and stayed there for 12 non-consecutive weeks.

Songs

Template:Unreferenced section "Landslide" was originally recorded by Fleetwood Mac in 1975. "Travelin' Soldier" was originally recorded by its writer, Bruce Robison, in 1996, and then in rewritten form, in 1999; Ty England also recorded the song in 1999. "Godspeed" was originally recorded by Radney Foster in 1999; his wife suggested sending it to the Dixie Chicks because Natalie Maines had just had a baby. "Long Time Gone" and "More Love" were originally recorded by Darrell Scott in 2000. "Truth No. 2" and "Top of the World" were originally recorded by Patty Griffin for Silver Bell, a 2000 album that went unreleased until 2013, although the latter song was rerecorded by Griffin on 2004's Impossible Dream. "I Believe in Love" made its debut on the 2001 telethon America: A Tribute to Heroes.

Singles

"Long Time Gone" was released on May 23, 2002 as the lead single from the record. It received positive reviews, with many critics noting the unique bluegrass and acoustic sound that was atypical of mainstream country music at the time. The song debuted at number 37 on the Hot Country Songs (then titled the "Hot Country Singles & Tracks") chart on June 8, 2002 and later rose up to its peak position of number two on August 24. The song also ended up peaking at number seven on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, becoming the group's first top ten hit on the chart.

A cover of the Fleetwood Mac song, "Landslide" was released on August 26, 2002, as the second single from the album and the only one to be released to adult contemporary radio. The song was also the "Hot Shot Debut" of the week of September 7 (at country radio), debuting at number 32 and peaking at number two on the country charts on November 9. It also topped the Adult Contemporary chart, making it the group's only number one hit on that chart. It went to become the second top ten hit from the album on the Hot 100, peaking at number seven. The song also peaked within the top ten in Canada and Australia.

"Travelin' Soldier" was released on December 9, 2002 as the third single from Home. It was performed a year before its release at the 2001 CMA Awards, footage of which was later used as the song's music video. The song initially debuted on the country charts based solely on its live performance on February 16, 2002, at number 58, peaking at number 57. In its official release as a single, it re-entered the chart on December 14, 2002, at number 57. The song would go on to top the Hot Country Songs chart the week of March 22, 2003.

"Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)" was released on May 22, 2003, as the fourth single from the album. It debuted on the country charts at number 59 on June 7, 2003.

The album's fifth and final single, "Top of the World" was released in September 2003. The song was originally written by Patty Griffin, who had tried to record the song, but a dispute with her label led her to get dropped and the album project shelved.

Reception

Critical

Template:Music ratings The album received positive reviews. Metacritic gave the album an aggregated score of 75 (green label), indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref name="Metacritic" />

Rhapsody ranked the album #1 on its list of "Country's Best Albums of the Decade".<ref name="blog.rhapsody.com">"Country's Best Albums of the Decade" Template:Webarchive Retrieved January 12, 2010.</ref> Another music blog, Country Universe, named it as the album of the decade.<ref name="countryuniverse.net">Coyne, Kevin John (December 10, 2009), "The 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade, Conclusion: #10-#1", countryuniverse.net, Retrieved March 17, 2010</ref> CMT's Craig Shelburne included it on his "A Dozen Favorite Country Albums of the Decade" list.<ref name="Country Music Television">Shelburne, Craig (December 23, 2009), "A Dozen Favorite Country Albums of the Decade", CMT News, Retrieved February 10, 2010.</ref> Engine 145 country music blog lists it No. 4 on the "Top Country Albums of the Decade" list.<ref name="engine145.com">Template:Usurped, engine145.com, December 10, 2009, Retrieved February 10, 2010.</ref> Entertainment Weekly put the album on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying: "Even George W. Bush fans have to respect the Chicks' authentic bluegrass sound on 'Long Time Gone' and 'Landslide'. Okay, maybe they don't. But they should."<ref name="10 Best Albums of the Decade">"10 Best Albums of the Decade". Entertainment Weekly. December 17, 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2010</ref> Allmusic said "They've delivered not just their best album, but what's arguably the best country album yet released in the 2000s. Needless to say, an instant classic."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Accolades

• Rhapsody – #1 on its "Country's Best Albums of the Decade" list<ref name="blog.rhapsody.com"/>
• Country Universe – #1 Country Album of the Decade<ref name="countryuniverse.net"/>
• Country Universe - #2 on its "100 Greatest Contemporary Country Albums" List <ref>Coyne, Kevin John (December 10, 2009), [1], countryuniverse.net, Retrieved April 24, 2010</ref>
• CMT – "A Dozen Favorite Country Albums of the Decade" list<ref name="Country Music Television"/>
• Engine 145 – #4 on its "Top Country Albums of the Decade" list<ref name="engine145.com"/>
• Entertainment Weekly – #6 Best Album of the Decade<ref name="10 Best Albums of the Decade"/>
• Entertainment Weekly - #2 on its "25 Essential Country Albums" list <ref>http://www.theboot.com/2008/05/21/entertainment-weekly-lists-25-essential-country-albums/ . Entertainment Weekly. December 17, 2009. Retrieved May 13, 2010</ref>
• Entertainment Weekly = #85 on its "100 Best Albums from 1983-2008" <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• Texas Music Magazine – #1 Album of the Decade<ref>Coyne, Kevin John (December 10, 2009), [2], Retrieved April 12, 2010</ref>
• BSC – #67 on its "Best Albums of the Decade" List<ref>Coyne, Kevin John (December 10, 2009), [3] Template:Webarchive, Retrieved April 12, 2010</ref>
• CMT – #15 on its Top 40 Greatest Country Albums<ref>Coyne, Kevin John (December 10, 2009), Template:Cite web, Retrieved April 12, 2010</ref>
• Taste of Country - #27 on its "100 Greatest Country Albums Ever" <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 9513 - #4 on its "Top Country Albums of the Decade" List<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personnel

• Martie Maguire - fiddle, mandolin, viola, vocals
• Natalie Maines - vocals
• Emily Robison - banjo, Dobro, accordion, vocals, Papoose

Additional personnel

• Glenn Fukunaga - upright bass
• Emmylou Harris - vocals
• Byron House - upright bass
• Lloyd Maines - acoustic guitar, Weissenborn slide guitar, Papoose
• John Mock - percussion, bodhrán, uilleann pipes, tin whistle
• Sara Nelson - cello
• Paul Pearcy - percussion
• Adam Steffey - mandolin
• Bryan Sutton - acoustic guitar, baritone guitar, Papoose
• Chris Thile - mandolin, soloist

Production

• Producers: Dixie Chicks, Lloyd Maines
• Engineer: Gary Paczosa
• Assistant engineers: Thomas Johnson, Adam Odor, Fred Remmert
• Mixing: Gary Paczosa
• Mixing assistant: Eric Bickel
• Mastering: Robert Hadley, Doug Sax
• Production coordination: Mindi Pelletier
• String arrangements: John Mock
• Art direction: Kevin Reagan
• Design: Bret Healey, Kevin Reagan
• Photography: James Minchin
• Make-up: Candy Burton

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2002-2003)	Peak position
Australian Albums Chart (ARIA)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	4
Canadian Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	2
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	1
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	1

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for Home by Dixie Chicks

Chart (2002)	Position
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	20
Canadian Country Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	4
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	22
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	4
Worldwide Albums (IFPI)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	15

Chart (2003)	Position
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	4
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	2

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions
		US Country	US	US AC	CAN
2002	"Long Time Gone"	2	7	—	—
	"Landslide"	2	7	1	2
	"Travelin' Soldier"	1	25	—	—
2003	"Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)"	48	—	—	—
	"Top of the World"	—	—	—	—

Other charted songs

Year	Single	Peak chart positions
		US Country
2002	"White Trash Wedding"	56
	"Tortured, Tangled Hearts"	58

Awards

Grammy Awards

Year	Winner	Category
2003	Home	Best Country Album
2003	Home	Best Recording Package
2003	"Lil' Jack Slade"	Best Country Instrumental Performance
2003	"Long Time Gone"	Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal
2005	"Top of the World"(Live)	Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal

External links

• Template:Metacritic album