Dixie Chicks star Natalie Maines goes solo

Dixie Chicks star Natalie Maines is going solo with an album co-produced by pal Ben Harper.

Mother will feature tracks written by Eddie Vedder and Jeff Buckley, while the title track is a cover of a Pink Floyd song.

Maines admits it took her a while to pluck up the courage to go solo.

She says, "I was a little apprehensive to do something by myself; I've never done anything without the other Chicks. It was weird at first.

"I wanted this music to be very different from the Dixie Chicks. Lots of albums by lead singers might just as well have been made by the band, but I think this is very different from anything the Chicks could make. That separation and distinction was important."

The album will be released on 7 May (13).