Shut Up And Sing

*Prairie poppets become the unlikely darlings of the counter-culture and emerge with dignity intact in a must-see documentary*When Natalie Maines told a London audience in 2003 she was "ashamed" that President Bush came from her home state of Texas, the fallout threatened to destroy the Dixie Chicks, up to that point the biggest-selling female band in history. It led to boycotts by all-powerful country radio in the US, with outraged fans burning their CDs in public - on a scale not witnessed since John Lennon's infamous "bigger than Jesus" claim.Barbara Kopple's brilliant documentary follows the trio over the next three years as they attempt to sustain their careers, in the face of tour sponsors on the verge of withdrawing financial support and frantic damage limitation proposals by their record label. If anything, the controversy spurred the group towards a reinvention, and the involvement of Rick Rubin, Neil Finn, Sheryl Crow and even the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the writing and recording of their first straight "pop" album, ultimately reaped rewards, with several of its tracks directly addressing the earlier hullabaloo. That such an innocuous remark from a most unlikely voice of dissent should have caused so much fuss is astonishing, but Kopple, who also helmed Woody Allen's acclaimed jazz band odyssey Wild Man Blues, reveals these three unassuming women to be savvy individuals with clear consciences and admirable ethics. It's an uplifting and inspirational film, which will have even the most committed country music refuseniks cheering on the protagonists. Maines is plainly the star of the show, feisty and funny throughout, and unrepentant until the bitter end. Shortly after the film was completed the Chicks' new material earned them five Grammys, three for the defiant Not Ready To Make Nice, a song and title which sums up precisely why she should be cherished.Watch the flick, people, it's in your local DVD emporium. Here's the trailer...*A version of this review appears in the forthcoming issue of the UK music magazine Record Collector*