D.C. Does It

Hank Williams Jr. probably said it best: "I live to love Texas women." With a legacy of badass babes like Ann Richards, Janis Joplin, and Tanya Tucker, is it any wonder that as the new century dawns, the biggest female singing groups in America both hail from the Lone Star State? God only knows how they ended up with the same initials, but both Destiny's Child and the Dixie Chicks boast outsized attitudes matched only by their ambitions and talents. Their barrage of Top 40 hits, from "Wide Open Spaces" and "Sin Wagon" to "Say My Name" and "Bootylicious," show modern-day Texas ladies embracing their independence, their self-reliance, their bodies, and -- provided they act right -- their men. Like all good divas, they've been surrounded by drama almost from day one, what with the Chicks' "Goodbye Earl" spouse-killing flap, and the incessant hating that led Beyoncé to write "Survivor." But they've risen above it, because the only thing they ever really cared about was the music (and the free clothes). And if their music veers toward the bland commercial pap too much in evidence these days, just as often it's frisky, forthright, funny, and, you guessed it, fabulous. Even their weaknesses -- the Chicks for thrift-store duds, Destiny's Child for Popeye's chicken -- are adorable. In both their cases, D.C. stands for devastating charisma and damn courageous. Just like all great Texas gals.