DIXIE CHICKS DIDN'T BACK DOWN, DIDN'T MAKE NICE-- DEBUTED AT #1 THIS WEEK

The Dixie Chicks aggressively promoted their new album, TAKING THE LONG WAY, by reminding people-- not papering over the "problem"-- how they feel about Bush's catastrophic war against Iraq. It was a strategy fraught with danger, at least from a commercial perspective. Until last week, the only song most people could hear was "Not Ready to Make Nice," which made it clear that they weren't backing down from a position that some conservative radio stations cited as a reason to ban their music. The "strategy" has worked well for the Dixie Chicks-- really well.

Only one album a week can be #1 and this week TAKING THE LONG WAY debuted as the #1 album in the U.S. Now, the Dixie Chicks have had #1 albums before, of course, but this is the first time ever that a female group has had 3 albums debut as #1. They sold (over the counter) more than 500,000 album, which means it is also gold already, right out of the box. And, predictably, foreign sales are also excellent.

My guess is that most people who bought the Dixie Chicks new album bought it because they love their music. But it's hard to imagine that anyone bought it unaware of the controversy swirling around the band, particularly since they publicly withdrew their polite, pro forma apology to Bush, issued at the height of their last crisis with him. Between the cover of TIME Magazine and the segment on 60 MINUTES, everyone knew they were standly their ground-- loudly. And if someone still doesn't know how they feel about Bush and his policies, tonight the band will sit down for an in-depth interview with Larry King on CNN.

Meanwhile music fans-- regardless of politics-- are going bonkers over the songs and reviews have been superb. "This is an album that has something for everyone," opined THE NY TIMES, "old fans who thought the Dixie Chicks were at their finest in their fancy-free early days as well as recent admirers who are eager to see the band push beyond the confines of country." Tickets for the band's tour, which starts on July 21 in Detroit, go on sale next week (June 3).