Indigo Girls : Releases >>
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Despite Our Differences >>
Retrospective >>
Try to think of an enduring, widely respected, artistically progressive female song-writing duo. Now, try to think of one besides the Indigo Girls. Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have been pounding the folk-rock pavement since the early 1980s, filling the ears of eager listeners with their ethereal harmonies, lush arrangements and evocative lyrics. Retrospective traces their progression from budding singer-songwriters to stunning musicians, arrangers, activists and artists. Progressing chronologically, the album allows the listener to appreciate the depth and breadth of the pair's musical growth--from the reedy, passionate plea of "Strange Fire" to the blithe bounce of "Least Complicated" to the dark electricity of "Go". As time passes, more instruments are added, more sensitive political topics are addressed, and more experimental techniques are incorporated. The two new cuts--Ray's up-tempo but slightly turbulent "Devotion" and Salier's heartfelt road ballad "Leaving"--are reminiscent of the Girls' younger days for their simplicity but simultaneously reflect their artistic growth through subtle lyrical turns and deft melodic variations. --Sally Weinbach
Indigo Girls >>
On their eponymous 1989 debut, the Indigo Girls followed the lead of such greats as Laura Nyro and Joni Mitchell. Amy Ray and Emily Saliers pumped social conscience and self-esteem into ringing acoustic anthems like "Closer to Fine" and "Land of Canaan," just in time to catch the rising tide of feminist rock. Occasionally rough and a little too self-conscious, the songs on this CD resound with a profound sense of honesty and raw emotion. Crisp guitar work and haunting harmonies became the stock-in-trade of this powerful duo of "girls with guitars." L.A. Smith
Become You >>
Three years after the experimental and not-always-successful Come on Now Social, the Indigo Girls return to a more traditional framework with the acoustic-based Become You. A deft melding of folk, rock, and pop--and laced with Latin and soul around the edges--Become You gets to the heart of what Amy Ray (the rocking half) and Emily Saliers (the gentler half) do best: chronicle the complexities of love and socio-sexual politics from a feminist viewpoint. While the seductive and full-bodied melodies leave plenty of expanse for the duo's gauzy, hand-in-glove harmonies, the majority of the repertoire here carries an undercurrent of dissatisfaction and anxiety, whether about the outcome of a rocky love affair ("Moment of Forgiveness"), the still-extant racism in the South ("Become You"), or the ultimate fate of the Mexican women who fight for change with the Zapatistas ("Nuevas Senoritas"). Poignant, thought-provoking, and beautifully crafted, with rapt attention to the interplay of instruments as well as voices, Become You finds Ray and Saliers back in top form and as relevant in 2002 as at the start of their 15-year career. --Alanna Nash
Nomads Indians Saints >>
Amid a musical landscape where "alternative" had quickly been co-opted by MTV and the fashion industry, Emily Saliers and Amy Ray tapped a vein of cultural and sexual dissatisfaction and yearning (if not rebellion) in their 20-something peers. Their first hit, "Closer to Fine," had an insinuating folk-pop groove and enough philosophical trappings to suggest this feisty acoustic duo had bigger things planned. Their third album proved it: the arrangements are aggressive and their pop temperament bubbles to the fore on songs like "Hammer and a Nail" and the handsome, sweet "Southland in the Springtime." --Roy Francis Kasten
Rites of Passage >>
Shaming of the Sun >>
Rites of Passage [Import] >>
Fans of Georgia duo Indigo Girls are dedicated to this act for very specific reasons: there's the rare (bordering on brilliant) harmonies and counter melodies, the seemingly effortless acoustic guitar playing, and a host of emotionally cathartic lyrics that make the listener feel like they've been reading someone's diary. That said, the Girls reached a point around the time of this album where opening up their souls for song perhaps felt less appealing than general storytelling. Does that make the music bad? No, but it is decidedly different; 1992's Rites of Passage comes off more as a musical jam than a night alone in front of a campfire. The Roches, Jackson Browne, David Crosby, and Lisa Germano all contribute to that effect, providing a musically interesting but perhaps emotionally less challenging effort than some of the duo's earlier works. --Denise Sheppard
Nomads Indians Saints >>
Rarities [Us Import] >>
Have the Indigo Girls hit the doldrums? Not if Rarities is anything to go by, for there is much here to enjoy, all of it wrapped in the Girls' trademark corduroy-and-silk harmonies. Their demo version of "Ghost" is fraught with fevered longing, a remix of "Shed Your Skin" delights with its swirling, hypnotic soundscape, and the cameos by Michael Stipe ("I'll Give You My Skin") and Ani DiFranco ("Ramblin' Round") resonate with artistry and star power. But at 18 songs long, this album might be considered one for the die-hard fans only. --Alanna Nash