LEAVING THE NEST THE DIXIE CHICKS RETURN FROM HIATUS WITH THEIR LEGAL WOES ENDED AND A NEW ALBUM WELCOMED.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer

THE DIXIE CHICKS have come ``Home'' to roost. After a nearly two-year break that saw pregnancies, marriages and a thorny battle to escape their contract, the Chicks shunned the slick sounds of Nashville and returned to their home state of Texas to make a bluegrass-flavored album.

``Home,'' the long-awaited sequel to the 10-million-selling ``Fly,'' signals a Dixie Chicks group demanding to be taken seriously by music aficionados for their witty song choices, top-notch picking, creative arrangements and soaring vocal harmonies. The album, which hits stores today, is expected to give country music sales a welcome bump after a year of few superstar releases.

``It's one of the most anticipated new releases in a long, long time,'' said RJ Curtis, music director at country radio KZLA-FM (93.9). ``It'll appeal to fans of country and pop and anyone who likes real good, well-produced music. It's the start of an exciting time for country radio and, more importantly, for fans.''

With lead singer Natalie Maines' musician dad Lloyd Maines twiddling the studio dials as co-producer, ``Home'' settles in with such poignant gems as ``I Believe in Love,'' penned with Marty Stuart and performed on a post-Sept. 11 all-star telethon; the Fleetwood Mac classic ``Landslide''; Patti Griffin's moving ``Top of the World'' and Radney Foster's lullaby to his son ``Godspeed (Sweet Dreams).''

Natalie Maines recalled that when the threesome - which is rounded out by Martie Maguire, 32, and Emily Robison, 30, who are sisters - initially gathered in her Austin, Texas, living room to make music after the hiatus, nobody was sure which label would release the results or if they even had enough material for a full-length platter.

``We got together simply to create some music,'' said Maines, 27, who gave birth to a son last year. ``We'd been inspired by a lot of acoustic traditional-sounding stuff, especially bluegrass. Martie got into a lot of Irish music and was inspired by the time she spent there.''

Along with the birth of Maines' son, Maguire got married during the Dixies' sabbatical. Robison, meanwhile, is expecting her first child, a son, in November.

Not giving up the farm

Also, the band meandered back to its longtime label base, Sony Music, after the trio declared war and tried to fly the coop when alleged accounting misdeeds came to light following the sale of some 17 million copies of the Chicks' first two Sony albums, ``Wide Open Spaces'' and ``Fly.''

The countersuits flew but Sony held firm, demanding five more albums from the Chicks. The dispute was eventually settled last month with the help of a new royalty rate and back pay. The Chicks now record for their own Sony subsidiary called Open Wide Records.

``They sued us and we sued them, but once they heard the new record, they came to the table,'' Maines said from her backyard hot tub. ``The whole thing could've easily been avoided. But just because we got a contract we're happy with doesn't mean we're happy with the way the industry works. We'll still try to change the way the record business operates. But you know what? The fans really don't care about the inside business stuff.''

If you're talking country, it always comes down to the fans. The music's famously loyal audience, which is quick to embrace a breakthrough artist, sustains careers during creative lulls, turns out to support old favorites on the state fair circuit and rewards a new slant on an old theme from a familiar face like Toby Keith, whose ninth album recently topped both the country and pop charts.

KZLA's Curtis, who dubs ``Home'' the Dixie Chicks' own ``white album,'' referring to the musically adventurous Beatles classic, says the country world is anticipating high-profile releases from Shania Twain, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw before the end of the year. Also issued today is ``My Town,'' the latest disc from smash country duo Montgomery Gentry.

``The new Dixies record will have an extremely positive effect all down the line,'' he said. ``Things are just gonna get better. The Chicks will get people in the stores, and when they're there, they'll be exposed to a lot of very good records.''

Two weeks ago, the Dixie Chicks taped an acoustic performance at the Kodak Theatre that will air in December on NBC. The concert opened with the trio's latest hit, the up-tempo ``Long Time Gone,'' which takes a shot at the state of country music with lines like, ``Now they sound tired but they don't sound Haggard/They've got money but they don't have Cash.''

Love it or leave it

Maines said a few days before the Kodak show that she looked forward to making her point and proving the band's case before an industry crowd that might be skeptical.

``We like to have to prove ourselves,'' she said. ``We're not afraid to go in front of them and do what we do - and they can either like it or not. I believe strongly in these songs. To each his own. Everybody's not gonna like everything.''

To illustrate, Maines recalls a grueling Chicks trek to Britain while promoting ``Fly'' two years ago.

``Nobody knew how to market us over there,'' Maines said. ``They tried to promote us like we were Britney Spears. And people didn't buy it, so we backed off. Nobody had a clue. We don't need to be superstars over there. We want to work from the ground up. I mean, surely, there must be people there who like roots music.''

The Dixie Chicks, who are planning a spring tour, have a string of TV appearances lined up in the next month. The trio can be seen tonight on CBS' ``Late Show With David Letterman,'' Thursday on the ``CBS Early Show'' and Sept. 5 on NBC's ``The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.''

Adds Curtis: ``They have wide appeal. It's refreshing and energetic but at the same time it's true to the music they grew up with. They're gonna be around for a long time.''

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(1 -- cover -- color) Heavyweight featherweights

The Dixie Chicks prepare to take back the country-music crown with a hotly anticipated new record

(2) no caption (The Dixie Chicks)