Mother (Natalie Maines album)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Mother is the debut solo studio album by American singer Natalie Maines. It was released on May 7, 2013, by Columbia and produced by Ben Harper and Maines. The album was recorded from June to December 2012 and marks Maines’ first solo project since the Dixie Chicks’ 2006 album Taking the Long Way, coming ten years after the group faced a country radio boycott because of Maines’ 2003 remarks about President George W. Bush. After a seven-year break from recording, Maines said she wasn’t interested in modern country music. She announced the project in June 2012, and in October she revealed on Twitter that it would be a rock album and her first without the Dixie Chicks. Recording finished on December 19, 2012. The album includes both original songs and covers.

A notable track is the title song, a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Mother,” which appeared on the West of Memphis soundtrack in January 2013. In February 2013, Maines and producer Harper performed songs from the album in a private show at The Troubadour. The vinyl LP was pressed by United Record Pressing in Nashville. The album also features a cover of Jeff Buckley’s “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over,” described by NPR as a bold, powerful take.

Reception was mostly positive. Metacritic gives the album a score of 70 out of 100 based on 10 reviews. Critics praised Maines’ expressive, strong vocals and the rock-influenced sound, though some noted the production sounded overly polished and felt the material could be more cohesive.