The Dixie Chicks are back with a new album after a fairly long quiet spell following a great deal of controversy. You might recall them having become the pariahs of the country music world when lead singer Natalie Maines publicly criticized then-president George W. Bush. The buzz on the Internets today is whether the old controversies have anything to do with the latest release being a duo effort by sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison, with Maines nowhere to be found.

Wendy Geller says, in her piece for the Yahoo! music blogs:

Could the sisters be having a family collab just for the pure enjoyment of it? Or, is there a deeper meaning to the omission of their longtime pal and singer?

I, for one, am wondering if it’s a bit of both. If, maybe, the two are preferring a lower-key re-emergence into the spotlight…

There will be no escaping the endless questioning about you-know-what-and-whatnot, but perhaps leaving out Maines–who has, undoubtedly, painted herself into the catalyst corner of this entire saga–is the easiest way to get back to the basics.

Then again–it could very well be Maines herself who wishes to remain out of the spotlight for a little bit longer. As the center of the storm, she’s weathered the most criticism.

What do you think? Here’s the most controversial track from their last album, “Not Ready to Make Nice,” to refresh your memory…

If you aren’t already familiar with them, check this out and tell us what you think!

Devendra Banhart’s new album, “What Will We Be,” came out last week, and Stereogum is offering a free stream of samples from it. If you’re new to Devendra, you might remember him as having dated Natalie Portman and featured her in the video to his trippy song, Carmencita.

Here’s the video for Carmencita, which is pretty cool:

What did you think?

• Estudiantina Castellana’s “Noche de Paz”. If you’re dreaming of a “Blanca Navidad,” this is the album for you.
  
  

  Noche de Paz

• Kate Ceberano’s “Merry Christmas”. Another beautiful woman sings all the sexiest Christmas hits.
  
  

  Merry Christmas

• Johnny Reid’s “Christmas”. Where beautiful women lean towards the sexy Christmas standards, apparently nice-looking young men go for the sentimental favorites. Johnny Reid will be home for Christmas, darnit!
  
  

  Christmas

• A Very Special Christmas 7, by Various Artists. If you’re going to buy just one new Christmas album this year, this is probably it. Leighton Meester, Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus, Sean Kingston, and more, come together to sing… basically the same songs you’ll find on the other albums on this list.
  
  

  A Very Special Christmas 7

• Kermit Ruffins’ “Have A Crazy Cool Christmas”. I’ve never heard of Kermit Ruffins before, but I like his name.
  
  

  Have a Crazy Cool Christmas

What are your favorite holiday albums? Have you heard the new Bob Dylan? What did you think?

Justin King, an amazing guitarist and sometimes-war-photographer, has just released his first solo album since the dissolution of his band, The Apologies, a couple of years ago, and the first release he’s created since splitting with Epic Records. Humilitas Occidit Superbiam is available for purchase through iTunes and CDBaby, but you can listen to it for free on his site right now.

Here’s video of Justin performing “Sparrows,” which appears on the new album, in 2007. Enjoy!