Taking the Long Way was the first Dixie Chicks album to come after Natalie Maines’ political comments in 2003 made them one of country music's most controversial groups. The album is a melancholy triumph, filled with indelible, rock ‘n’ roll-infused songs about love, nostalgia, doubt, and, most of all, persistence. "Not Ready to Make Nice" contains all of the above, its steadfast lyrics crescendoing toward increasingly intense highs, while tracks like "Lubbock or Leave It" speed recklessly ahead, powered by loud, distorted electric guitars.