Remarkably, this is the Indigo Girls' thirteenth studio album, fourteen if you count their self-titled debut EP released in 1987.
Amy Ray and Emily Saliers are lesbians who are a couple in the musical rather than romantic sense. Their staying power is probably due to the fact that they have remained just good friends and maintained a shared commitment to environmental and gay rights issues.
The beautifully packaged album was recorded in Nashville where they were able to call upon an cast of accomplished musicians. It was produced by Peter Collins; who also worked with the duo on my favourite album of theirs, Swamp Ophelia.
It starts promising with a great song of longing by Ray, Share The Moon, on which you can feel the ache of separation.
Like the album as a whole, the harmonies are exemplary and the backing instrumentation perfectly judged. Luke Bulla is excellent throughout on violin and mandolin.
In general, Amy Ray is the deeper and sultrier of the pair whereas Emily Saliers' songs tend to have a homelier, more romantic feel.
So Ray will write a song about the 2011 uprisings in Egypt (War Rugs) while Saliers prefers to extol the virtues of a kindly neighbour (John) or muse about the problems of writing a meaningful dedication on a birthday card (Birthday Song).
The only song not exclusively by one or the other is Gone, co-written by Saliers and Annie Roboff, which touches on a familiar theme of escaping small-time values ("Doesn't take much around here to make such big news")
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There's a hint of tokenism about an Irish tune, Damo, ("What do I know of Ireland?") with Damien Dempsey on backing vocals and Eammonn De Barra on whistles and flute.
It is only on the final track that you hear something truly outstanding. Yoke packs a genuine emotional punch in the way the other tracks never quite achieve. This is a song driven by the hurt and mess of relationships; the heartfelt line "To hold that tenderness in my hands in these grubby hands, I'd shoot anything" gives something of its power.
Writing of this quality, which suggests rather than simply tells, has a boldness which is lacking in the rest of the album.
After over a quarter of a century, Indigo Girls still sound fresh and quietly transgressive but this record rarely offers more than make a cosy distraction.
Indigo Girl's Official Website
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