On “Let Him Fly” and “Hole in My Head,” women seem eager to unload difficult men (a healthy display of self-respect if they’re not married). A girl prone to apathy decides to start caring about romance (“Ready to Run”).
“Sin Wagon” is about a female who, thumbing her nose at her Christian morals, embarks on a wild night of drunkenness and “mattress dancing.” After enduring physical abuse from her husband, a woman gets her girlfriend to help poison him and dump his body in a lake (“Goodbye Earl”). Disturbing and irresponsible. Also, “Cold Day in July,” “Hello Mr. Heartache,” “Without You” and “Heartbreak Town” obsess over life’s disappointments.
Is this the same group that released Wide Open Spaces only a year ago? That disc was fun with a moral core. Here, the core is rotten. It’s as if Natalie Maines and the Siedel sisters picked the songs for Fly after a slumber party featuring repeated viewings of Thelma &Louise. A sad turn. Promoting female empowerment is one thing; advocating hedonism and murder is another. Shoo, Fly.
