![\"Natalie-Maines-Issue-No27\"](\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Natalie-Maines-Issue-No27.jpg\")
NATALIE MAINES<\/h1>\nNATALIE MAINES<\/h1>\nA Chick stops whistling Dixie to rock Cali with Ben Harper<\/b><\/p>\n
Dixie Chicks fans might be\u00a0surprised that Natalie Maines chose a rock direction for her solo album debut, Mother<\/i>, but for the Texas native it was all about getting back to her roots. \u201cAnything but country music was what I listened to growing up,\u201d says the 13-time Grammy winner. \u201cIt was all pop, rock and R&B.\u201d Maines recorded Mother <\/i>at Ben Harper\u2019s L.A. studio, where she worked at a leisurely pace with the veteran songwriter-producer and his band. In addition to the Roger Waters\u2013penned title track, the album features Jayhawks, Jeff Buckley and Eddie Vedder covers, and new songs written by Harper.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
How did you approach the album?<\/b><\/p>\n
Ben and I had co-written and sung a song together for a documentary. That\u2019s how our friendship began. But I didn\u2019t actually realize we were making an album at first. We went into the studio with no agenda, no schedule, and went at things song by song. I didn\u2019t even tell my manager until we were seven songs in. The guys in the band were excited to be trying things. They just wanted to make music, and I wanted to see where it all might lead.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What was it like working with Ben?<\/b><\/p>\n
He\u2019s super easygoing. Oftentimes I knew what I didn\u2019t like about something, but he was great at knowing how to fix them\u2014even if it was a small thing like changing the guitar. Plus, Ben\u2019s such a gifted writer, he can write a song a day. I love making and performing music, and the production side,\u00a0 but writing is like homework\u2014I only do it when forced. Ben is also such a positive presence in the studio. You do a vocal, and he\u2019s throwing himself on the ground with excitement.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Any magical moments in the studio?<\/b><\/p>\n
It took us a long time to get the Buckley song, \u201cLover, You Should\u2019ve Come Over,\u201d exactly how we wanted it. But when it finally happened we all felt a certain energy. Later that night I was reading the news, and learned it was the anniversary of Buckley\u2019s death. I immediately texted all the guys\u2014we were all shocked.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
How did you choose the songs?<\/b><\/p>\n
Various ways. After being in the studio for about a week I went to see Roger Waters\u2019 The Wall<\/i> concert, and when I heard him do \u201cMother,\u201d it struck me that I had to do that song. I could hear how it would sound with my voice\u2014and how it would take on a different meaning with a woman singing it. As for the Jeff Buckley song, my husband, Adrian, and I used to wake up every morning to that tune the first year we were falling in love. And I\u2019ve always been a huge Jayhawks fan. We recorded a couple of their songs, and \u201cI\u2019d Run Away\u201d seemed to best fit the album. And of course there are the new songs. I had sung \u201cTrained,\u201d the Ben original, months before we started this album. He had written it and was doing a demo, and I sang on his version. We sort of changed it up when I sang the lead for mine.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
How did it feel performing solo for the first time?<\/b><\/p>\n
Weird. I don\u2019t feel like I know who my audience is yet. I\u2019m usually good at reading an audience, tuning in to them, and giving them what they want. Now it\u2019s guesswork\u2014and I\u2019m figuring it all out. There\u2019s also more for me to remember for this music, because I play lots of guitar. But that\u2019s all part of what makes things exciting. I definitely feel like I\u2019m starting over.<\/p>\n
\u2013Russell Hall<\/p>\n
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NATALIE MAINES A Chick stops whistling Dixie to rock Cali with Ben Harper Dixie Chicks fans might be\u00a0surprised that Natalie Maines chose a rock direction for her solo album debut, Mother, but for the Texas native it was all about getting back to her roots. \u201cAnything but country music was what I listened to growing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[4689,3607,6921,6922,6920],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10317"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10317"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10317\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10319,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10317\/revisions\/10319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}