Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines is set to release her new album entitled Mother tomorrow (May 7).  

It's been seven years since Taking the Long Way Home, the group's Grammy Award-winning last album. They have only performed live a few times since then, and Maines' bandmates, sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison, even formed another band of their own, Court Yard Hounds, to fill the time with Dixie Chicks not keeping busy.

The Texas-born Maines has married actor Adrian Pasdar and been spreading her wings outside of country music working with L.A. singer-songwriter Pete Yorn. She started making Mother, which could be a self-portrait but shown in mostly in cover songs showing off her stunning vocal chops.
You can listen to Natalie Maines new album Mother on NPR HERE.

Mother was produced by songwriter and steel-pedal player Ben Harper, who's also made a career outside the usual pop categories so it was a good pairing of musical souls trying to create something new and outside the box.

Maines for a long time struggled with making a solo record and didn't want it to feel like she was cheating on Maguire and Robinson.  There was always comfort in the three of them making decisions together.

Maines covers Jeff Buckley's "Lover, You Should've Come Over" which few artists have tried to do a remake of. She co-wrote the song "Take It on Faith" which is about a story of a love strong and heart ache.  

Will you pick up Mother when it releases tomorrow?  What do you think of her new sound?