This fall, the Chicks will be embarking on a North American tour to herald the 20-year anniversary of their pivotal album, Taking the Long Way – and with jabs at Mitch McConnell, dances with Tim McGraw and a fierce displays of their ace musicianship, their summer shows have already been the kind of catharsis we sorely need. Now the trio of Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire, and Emily Strayer are taking the celebration one step further with a special reissue, Taking the Long Way (20th Anniversary Edition). Out Oct. 2, it will include five bonus tracks, including a demo of their Grammy-winning, Nashville-rattling song “Not Ready to Make Nice” and the unreleased “Flowers,” which you can listen to here.
When the Chicks released Taking the Long Way in 2006, it became the ultimate musical guidebook for how to stick to your beliefs and not capitulate for the sake of sales or better airplay. In the wake of their infamous 2003 statement on stage in London, when they criticized then President George W. Bush, they were essentially blacklisted from Nashville and the country music establishment: their CDs burned, their music kicked from radio playlists, the band members even living under constant heightened security after numerous threats to their lives.
But they refused to apologize and pander, instead releasing “Not Ready to Make Nice,” a triumphant and gorgeous ode to sticking to your moral center – and taking no shit in the process. It inspired future generations of artists, especially women in country music like Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, and Mickey Guyton, to never shut up and sing, with Taking the Long Way earning five Grammy awards in the process.
Taking the Long Way (20th Anniversary Edition) will include five bonus tracks, including demos of “Not Ready to Make Nice,” “So Hard” and “Flowers,” with “Thin Line” and “Live Wire” available on streaming for the first time. Though the Rick Rubin-produced album is famous for its defiant messages, it also showcases the sheer musical talent of the Texas trio: tight and tender harmonies, skilled picking and fiddle playing and whip smart lyricism.
The Chicks will launch their Taking the Long Way tour in Detroit, Michigan on Sept. 30th, concluding on Nov. 3 in Los Angeles, with a just-announced third night at the Dolby Theater. They will perform the album in its entirety each evening, as well as additional fan-favorites.