The Dixie Chicks - Home (Deluxe Limited Edition)

On their third album Home, The Dixie Chicks continue their winning country /girl-power formula while also paying tribute to the past and looking forward to the future. The trio of lead vocalist Natalie Maines and sisters Emily Robinson and Martie Maguire just seem to have a knack for pumping out well-rounded albums that sell by the bushel.

Home has just the right amount of radio-friendly singles and a few heavier songs that give the album weight and prove that the Texas-born ladies aren't just some light-weight fiddle act.

The Dixie Chicks aren't shy about calling up other talented singers and songwriters to give them a boost that's for sure. Their cover of the Stevie Nicks penned Fleetwood Mac hit "Landslide" is given a good country makeover. They don't have the poignancy to truly pull off such lines as "I'm getting older too" the way that Nicks does, but their version is still heartfelt and bittersweet - as it should be.

The sassy Texas trio were obviously looking for a challenge when they chose to include the song "Top of the World" written by Patty Griffin, one of the best folk artists on the scene. It's not typical Dixie Chicks fare in that it deals with an aging man looking back on the pain he's brought to his family.

The group really attacks the song though and does the tough material justice. Another heartbreaker is the Vietnam-themed song "Travelin Soldier" about a boy "just eighteen waiting for a bus in his army greens" who meets and falls in love with "a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair" before being shipped out to war. It's one of those songs that probably won't get any radio play even though it's one of the best on the album.

For all of Chicks' fans who loved their up tempo country rockers like "Wide Open Spaces" and "Goodbye Earl", the album Home has "Long Time Gone". It's the kind of song that even Nashville purists will like because even though it has a rock tempo, it does give a shout out to country legends Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash and Hank Williams.

Motherhood has also led the Dixie Chicks to explore their softer side. " Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)" is a beautiful lullaby for Natalie Maines' young son that mentions all that is good about childhood like "matchbox cars" and the story book "Goodnight Moon." Maines excellent vocal on the song keeps it from crossing over into ooey-gooey territory.

What makes the Deluxe Limited Edition of Home so darn deluxe is an extra DVD disc which includes the Chicks' videos. The extra dollars are worth it just for the wacky fun video for "Goodbye Earl" alone, but the others are keepers as well. There's also an additional track on the album - the Sheryl Crow remix of the Dixie Chicks' version of "Landslide". It really isn't all that different from the regular album track, but if you're a fan - any extra little bit is welcome.

With the winning album Home, the Dixie Chicks are three for three!