Album Review: Court Yard Hounds - Amelita

You got to give it to the girls from the Dixie Chicks, they definitely like to do what they want, having been through the ups and downs of success. The Court Yard Hounds are the two quieter Dixie sisters, and they represent the softer side of the equation. With sister Natalie Maines busy promoting her new solo album, the remaining sisters continue this project which is not a million miles away from the Dixie Chicks.

While Natalie has left country music behind her for a more rock-based sound, Court Yard Hounds follow a folk trajectory with a certain amount of country riffs thrown in. They can't quite escape their country music leanings. It's Emily Robison who pens most of the tunes here, and songs like Sunshine and Amelita are driven and personal at the same time. The close harmonies fit the lightweight nature of the songs. Gets You Down is one of them, and it is a song that could easily have been a hit on a Dixie Chicks album.

The strange thing about Amelita is that the production – while incredibly professional – doesn't allow the great songs to breathe and stand out. There is a sameness that keeps the sisters a little too subdued, and it's really only on Phoebe and Rock All Night that the girls get to rock out.

No doubt the question is, 'When will the three sisters get back together and do another Dixie Chicks album?' Meanwhile, this is a great album to plug the gap.