Martie Maguire Weighs in on Possibility of Future Dixie Chicks Albums

It's been seven years since the Dixie Chicks released their last album, but it doesn't look like fans will be marking their calendars for the follow-up any time soon. In an interview to promote the new Court Yard Hounds album, Martie Maguire says that while she'd like the trio to record again, she's just not sure when it will happen, if ever.

Maguire and her sister, fellow Dixie Chick Emily Robison, are preparing to release their second Court Yard Hounds album, 'Amelita,' and they tell Billboard that's where their focus lies now. "We never felt like it was a side project; I think other people put it in those terms," Robison says. "Once you go to your sophomore album, it means a lot to us."

They founded Court Yard Hounds in 2009 after Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines proved reluctant to record a new album. Maines recently released her first solo album, 'Mother,' and she said that she feels like the Dixie Chicks are "tainted" because of the fallout from her 2003 comment that they were ashamed that President George W. Bush was from their home state of Texas.

Both 'Taking the Long Way' and the tour in support of it were successful, but the numbers were still a fraction of what they had been at the height of the trio's success, and the group have appeared live only sporadically since then. Maguire says she's at peace with the way things have worked out.

"I've always hoped that we would become a recording entity again, but I don't know," she reflects. "I really learned to kind of let go, and I'm so happy where everything is right now. I'm so glad Natalie branched out and felt like she wanted to sing again and make a record; I think it's actually made her more willing to play Dixie Chicks shows."

She adds, "We realized a long time ago, Emily and I, we couldn't push her too hard, and we can't push each other too hard. You've got to live your life first and do your job second. The older I get the more laid back I am about whatever happens, happens."

Court Yard Hounds will release 'Amelita' on Tuesday (July 16) via Columbia Records.