Court Yard Hounds ‘Amelita’ Album Review

The Dixie Chicks have always been synonymous with country music success, even after the political outspokenness of frontwoman Natalie Maines turned off a chunk of their fanbase. The trio’s other two members, sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison, have typically kept their public personas limited to the music spectrum, so it’s little surprise that their releases as duo Court Yard Hounds are purely about country music, without any bells and whistles or political interludes attached. While that doesn’t equate to a full-fledged success, their second album Amelita is a refreshing release from the Dixie Chicks members, who continue to show their obvious talents as songwriters with a propensity for sweepingly infectious choruses amidst generally bland verses that play it safe.

One of the main issues with the verses on Amelita is their lack of adventure. The self-titled track sports active violin accompaniments and a perky lead, but the vocal melodies are very predictable and hardly traverse past their initial “let’s mimic the primary melody” approach. Although just four minutes long, there’s only about two minutes worth of material on “Amelita”, as it just refreshes the initial verses after their initial entry. More creative dynamics are displayed on “The World Smiles”, where a pleasant twinkling chorus intertwines with caressing acoustical accompaniments. This is one of the stronger efforts on Amelita, and one that plays Court Yard Hounds’ conventional structure techniques right. “The World Smiles” is a track you shouldn’t be surprised to hear over the speakers of a clothing boutique, and that’s meant complementarily. It’s pleasing ear candy, and that’s precisely what Court Yard Hounds excel most at.

Similarly, “A Guy Like You” rides on a gentle country twang, but like “Amelita” the vocal melodies do not adventure past reflecting the chorus exactly. This is redeemed by a sweeping and beautiful chorus, a complete departure from the mundane twangs of the verses. Still, “A Guy Like You” will be revisited often by listeners who cherish the chorus, as they should. As far as hooks go, it’s one of the best on Amelita. “I look up and I smile at the clouds and I make a kiss and throw a wish out,” they harmonize here, a perfect flowing assortment of springtime-y melodies. Although the duo show range with additional ballads, like the slow twangs of “Gets You Down”, it’s clear that their songwriting excels most when presented with bustling infectiousness and chirping optimism, rather than the melancholic love songs, which sound relatively forced despite occasional beauty, like the somber bridge on “Gets You Down”.

Court Yard Hounds’ country-rock influences play well on Amelita, for the most part. “Guy Like You” plays off a fun, almost rockabilly shuffle, and as one of the more playful tracks on Amelita it does its job. It’s easy to get Shania Twain vibes from this one, especially as a rollicking organ arrangement tidies the arrangement up at the mid-point mark. “Rock All Night”, while without a gripping chorus, is one of the album’s better all-around efforts. “Strap me up tight and turn up the music,” is sung with apt timing, just preceding a party-time chorus that re-enforces this track’s purely good and energetic vibes. Along with songwriter Martin Strayer, Maguire and Robison show on tracks like “Guy Like You” and “Rock All Night” that their youthful energy is not behind them. The rockabilly shuffle of “Phoebe” manages to incorporate similarly successful party-time vibes, while ballads like “Gets You Down” inject some mood-ranging variety despite their repetition and predictability. Regardless, as long as listeners can get past the repetition and lack of stylistic adventure – mainly present in uninspiring verses – they will find Amelita to be a fairly solid release from this Dixie Chicks duo.