☭ marselip0910 叶俊华™

Label Columbia
Release Date May 04, 2010

01. Skyline 4:20
02. The Coast 3:04
03. Delight (Something New Under The Sun) 4:34
04. See You In The Spring (Duet with Jakob Dylan) 4:51
05. Ain't No Son 4:40
06. Fairytale 4:05
07. I Miss You 3:49
08. Gracefully 4:28
09. April's Love 3:23
10. Then Again 3:20
11. It Didn't Make A Sound 3:48
12. Fear Of Wasted Time 4:10

◎13座葛萊美獎肯定的鄉村女子團隊Dixie Chicks之Martie+Emily姐妹所搭建全新雙人組合
◎邀請老牌黃金製作大師Jim Scott(Foo Fighters、Dido、Red Hot Chili Peppers)協助操盤
◎民謠之父Bob Dylan最得意的傳承親兒Jakob Dylan於〈See You In The Spring〉站台對唱

不僅是鄉村樂界的強悍小辣椒，更是樂壇上最嗆的女子團隊，風光拿下13座葛萊美獎肯定，挾帶兩張鑽石級銷售專輯，締造錄音室大碟的四連冠風光紀錄！雖然大獲市場歡迎與嚴苛樂評推崇，Dixie Chicks仍遭保守派群眾的撻伐，但是無論反應聲浪多麼巨大，還是堅持理念、拒絕妥協，用音樂當作人們的發聲器，站穩國際腳步，贏取來自四面八方最實質的肯定與掌聲。

由精通小提琴、中提琴、吉他、貝斯、曼陀林的Martha Elenor Erwin a.k.a. Martie Maguire，以及彈奏斑鳩、手風琴、吉他、貝斯之Emily Burns Erwin a.k.a. Emily Robison兩姐妹花緊緊維繫Dixie Chicks長達20年之久。1998年加入個性女主音，擅長吉他、貝斯的Natalie Maines之後，陸續以四張作品攻頂成功，創造14首鄉村榜Top10單曲，Dixie Chicks擺脫8年載浮載沉的窘境，膽識過人的力求突破，無所畏懼的敢怒敢言，多元且豐富的加入各類樂器輔佐，不斷嘗試新鮮風格，寫下最耀眼的音樂史記。

正當2009年Martie與Emily準備錄製Dixie Chicks全新專輯，Natalie卻因自身尚未做好復出的準備而婉拒邀約，Erwin姐妹則以Court Yard Hounds之名單飛不解散的發行作品，有請老牌黃金製作大師Jim Scott(Foo Fighters、Dido、Red Hot Chili Peppers)與Martie+Emily共通主理。圍繞以Emily為主唱，同時對於結束9年婚姻，Emily也作了深刻的回應。第一波主打〈The Coast〉，踏著輕快的步伐，迎著討喜的節拍，讓人映像深刻的不易遺忘，率先在流行各榜攀升當中；民謠之父Bob Dylan最得意的傳承親兒、領導奪下葛萊美「最佳搖滾重唱/團體」The Wallflowers的靈魂要角Jakob Dylan，於〈See You In The Spring〉裡頭匯聚濃烈草根味，灑下鄉村民謠的動人聆賞音網；描寫被社會驅逐的邊緣人之〈Ain't No Son〉，爽朗的班鳩琴韻埋沒在厚重搖滾聲浪中，再次顯現無可抵擋的悍勁；散發淡淡喜悅之情的〈“Delight (Something New Under The Sun)〉、〈Fairytale〉，搭配提琴和Emily柔美吟唱，交出質感兼備的小品。Court Yard Hounds沒有Dixie Chicks時期的尖銳、犀利，反而多了溫暖、甜美、以及更為私密的告白。



With Natalie Maines disinterested in recording a new Dixie Chicks album nearly five years after the last, sisters Emily Robison and Martie Maguire decided to abandon her as a temporary measure: they formed the side project Court Yard Hounds, releasing an eponymous album in May of 2010. Co-produced by Jim Scott, who mixed Taking the Long Way, it sounds like the Dixie Chicks minus Natalie: softer, sweeter, lacking a sense of surprise, but not unpleasantly so. If anything, there may be a touch too much pleasantness in the Court Yard Hounds, with the record often gently swaying to acoustic instrumentation and relaxing on its smooth surfaces. When guitars are cranked up, as they are on "Ain't No Son," Robison is almost buried underneath their steady thump, which isn't the fault of the production: she's too sweet a presence to cut through thick production. In other words, she lacks Maines' feistiness, something integral to the Dixie Chicks' crossover, but she's a consummate pro, possessing exceptional taste, sturdy songwriting skills, and the status to hire the very best studio musicians, not to mention having Jakob Dylan drop in for a duet on "See You in the Spring." Perhaps the results are predictable, but they are satisfying, and it's better to have new music from this duo than none at all. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Recording information: HEK Studio, Austin, TX; Plyrz Studio, Valencia, CA.

Photographer: Frank Ockenfels.

Personnel: Emily Robison (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, resonator guitar, dobro, banjo, pump organ); Audley Freed (acoustic guitar, acoustic 12-string guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar); Martin Strayer (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano); Lloyd Maines (steel guitar, dobro, mandolin); Greg Leisz (steel guitar); Jerry Holmes (autoharp); Martie Maguire (mandolin, fiddle, viola); Brian Standefer (cello); Tom Hale (French horn); Mike Finnigan (piano); Glen Fukanaga (acoustic bass); Pat Manske, Don Heffington (percussion).

Audio Mixer: Jim Scott.

Rolling Stone (p.66) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Robison, who wrote most of the songs, has a way with a hook -- and those harmonies make even the weepiest weepers go down smooth."
Entertainment Weekly (p.75) - "Quiet cuts like 'Skyline' emphasize their down-home vocals....'The Coast' is sunny pop..." -- Grade: B
Billboard (p.32) - "Robison and Maguire prove capable of crafting galloping, catchy choruses for such songs as 'The Coast,' 'Ain't No Son,' 'It Didn't Make a Sound' and 'I Miss You.'"
Paste (magazine) (p.85) - "[T]he album reaches a poignant destination in the closer 'Fear of Wasted Time,' an ode to the joys and rewards of mother- and sisterhood."