The Chicks - Gaslighter: Review
are a Dallas based country pop trio who first emerged in the 90's to a string of successful radio singles. After being ousted by country music radio for their political views the band took a hiatus of studio material while touring making Gaslighter the first new music from the band in 14 years,
Review By Lavender:
I have never really been that into The Chicks. Most of the bands hits were both before my time and not really in a genre I have that much admiration for. Given the attention the the singles from this record received and the fact that Jack Antanoff was lending production work I figured I would give the record a shot. After listening to some of the bands older records I came to the conclusion that I am just not a fan of their sound, and that is no different on Gaslighter.
Thankfully some of the best songs on the record are a pair of singles. The title track and opener Gaslighter is what first attracted my attention to the record with a simple but effective hook and a rousing catchy instrumental. The lyrical approach is completely uncompromising and the song is good as a result. March March is one of the most interesting songs here with a driving drum beat and some confrontational lead vocals. It sees the band stepping outside their comfort zone and shows off some slick production from Antanoff. There are a couple of other highlights here and there on the record as well. Young Man is one of the better ballads here not only do the vocal and lyrical sentiments sound more genuine and the instrumental meets it with the warm humanity the song warrants. The closing track Set Me Free actually works as well, the beautiful fragility of the song makes for a compelling final moment to end the record off on.
Sleep At Night is a decent country pop track that faces issues of infidelity head on. Unfortunately the crystal clean presentation gives the whole track no bite whatsoever despite the solid performances. Everybody Loves You is a pretty touching ballad lyrically even if I can't get an exact sense of what inspired the song. Juliana Calm Down is the other single and it feels like The Chicks lyrically dishing out advice to people in their lives often going as far as to mention them by name. The dry instrumental is a bit of a let down but the good vocal performances help make it worthwhile.
That's pretty much it as far as highlights go. Texas Man has a half strummed guitar instrumental that is ridiculously annoying. The instrumental blemishes on the hook are also very sour and come off pretty annoying. For Her is over five minutes of clanky instrumentation that manages to avoid progressing whatsoever. The fragile vocals really needed a second take especially in some of the songs most passionate moments, this is definitely the highlight of tedium for the album. Mt Best Friend's Wedding is an also pretty tedious ballad with the first half in particular being a major drag. Tights On My Boat is a Taylor Swift song, but with an even more stripped back instrumental that can't stand. Hope It's Something Good features vocals so faint they are almost hard to make out at the most understated moments. Even the group vocals here just don't push the mix at all and it's a really weird artistic choice by all involved. That being said the song wouldn't have been one of my favorites anyway so I guess there isn't too much harm done.
Gaslighter failed on a couple of levels to win me around to The Chicks. Taking the entire 2010's off may have helped some people see the band in a new light but this record is only marginally more tolerable than many of their old projects, but it's still a bad bunch. 4.5/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:
This cover is really fun. Given that they renamed themselves and needed an updated look to go with the name. I think this cover is modern and successful. I love the styling that was done on them and it goes back to their roots of mixing classic with modernity. The only think I dislike is the pink color of the text, I think it detracts too much from the beautiful imagery behind it. I would have also given a little more breathing room for the image and text but that's just personal preference. 6/10
For more country check out my review of Margo Price's That's How Rumors Get Started here
