Why I'm Not Buying the Dixie Chicks' New Album.

And I want to oh so badly. I love the Chicks' music. Up until a couple of years ago, there wasn't a band on the planet I liked I as much as those three girls. Even when Natalie Maines made her now infamous remarks in London, I didn't really care. I didn't take down my giant, framed poster of them hanging in my room. I thought the remarks were cowardly - like Maines would ever have the Thatchers to make that comment during a concert in Alabama - but it wasn't going to keep me from listening to their music.

Until yesterday I was still debating whether or not to purchase the new album. Then I heard some interview clips of theirs, and the Chicks made up my mind for me.

Maines starts out by saying she's never claimed to be "country to the core," which is true. I've often heard her in interviews talk about how she has been more influenced musically by rock music than by country. Then Emily says they really didn't like where country music was being taken. It was all becoming "red neck."

So true. And I would never categorize a song about two women, Marianne and Wanda, "both members of the 4H club, both active in the FFA" who poison Wanda's abusive husband with black-eyed peas, as "redneck." Nor would I call a song entitled "White Trash Wedding" that's about a pregnant young girl marrying her boyfriend, while her disapproving father looks on, "redneck" either. No, those are very rock and roll.

Puh-leeze.

It's like they're trying to convince us that this was their plan all along. "We didn't like the direction in which country music was heading, so we decided to piss off 75% of our fan base just so we could make a rock album." I'm not buying it.

To top off the interview Maines said she would be happy if people just buy this album out of "protest." Stay classy, Natalie.

So apparently it's not all about the music. As much as I want to buy this album, to finally have some new Dixie Chicks songs to belt out as a I drive alone in my car, I have to be honest with myself. If this album is all about protest (and with a single like "I'm Not Ready to Make Nice" as the first cut off the album, it's apparent that it is), and I'm not protesting what they're protesting, then I shouldn't buy it.

But I'm not going to send them death threats, or rent a giant bulldozer just so I can plow over their CD's. I'll still listen to their other three albums, because they will always be three of my favorite albums of all time. But I doubt I'll be buying another album of theirs in the future. And that makes me a little sad.