Rarities

Wow. So we went out and bought the new Indigo Girls CD, and I love it! Usually it takes a few listenings to start liking a new one, but not this one. But it's a very different album from their usual. First, it's a way different sound. They have taken songs from a lot of different sources, where usually it's mostly songs Amy or Emily have written. Here, you can see who has influenced them. One song is Emily's from her college days, and they recorded it way back in 1986. Boy, they've changed! One song is a Woodie Guthrie song, and they're singing it with Ani DiFranco. That one's one of my favorites. The weirdest, craziest one is Shed Your Skin, which as they note in the album notes, is already a departure from their usual style, but they let Tom Morello from Rage Against The Machine remix it. Wow! That's sure a different sound for them.

They also remixed Ghost and Free In You. The latter of which is in kind of a techno style now, along with other styles mixed in. I like it, but Paul doesn't. He likes the Rage remix. (He's secretly--or not so secretly now--a Rage fan, and has even gotten our children to like it....I'm the only holdout in the family.) Lots of other artists come into this album, both in lending their songs and in lending their voices. It's a remarkable album. The only criticism I have of it is that some of the songs feel somewhat unbalanced--like they're not an organic whole. I notice this especially in songs that have been remixed--even if I like the remix.

There's even a song about revolution, written by Ferron (I'm unfamiliar with this artist). Here's what Amy Ray says about her: "As a songwriter, Ferron has never gotten her due from the music industry. She is absolutely stellar. Her lyrics are just brilliant and if the media wasn't so straight, more people would know about her." I have a feeling there's a lot we'd know and like, and that we'd be different people, if we didn't get fed what we're supposed to hear.

Listen to clips of the music at Amazon and then go buy it from your local independent music store.