Sony/Monument, 1999

For those who wondered whether the Dixie Chicks were a flash in the pan, wonder no more. Fly surpasses Wide Open Spaces. Melding pop’s lush instrumentals with country’s emotional intensity, the Dixie Chicks craft a sound that should appeal to a wide cross-section of listeners. From honky-tonk tear-jerkers like “Hello, Mr. Heartache,” to hard-driving bluegrass-tinged songs like “Sin Wagon,” the album takes on the problem of love and betrayal—staples of the country repertoire—often in a new way.