Indigo Girls released self-titled album

Indigo Girls Indigo Girls

Released: February 28, 1989 Peak: 22 US, -- UK, -- CN, 64 AU, 17 DF Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, -- UK, 2.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: folk rock

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Closer to Fine (Saliers) [4:02] (6/17/89, 52 BB, 48 AR, 26 MR, 1 DF) Secure Yourself (Ray) [3:35] (4 DF) Kid Fears (Ray) [4:34] (6 DF) Prince of Darkness (Saliers) [5:21] (2 DF) Blood and Fire (Ray) [4:38] (10 DF) Tried to Be True (Ray) [2:59] (5 DF) Love’s Recovery (Saliers) [4:23] (7 DF) Land of Canaan (Ray) [3:57] (9 DF) Center Stage (Ray) [4:46] (10 DF) History of Us (Saliers) [5:27] (7 DF) Total Running Time: 44:36 The Players: Amy Ray (vocals, guitar) Emily Saliers (vocals, guitar)

Rating: 4.125 out of 5.00 (average of 26 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About Indigo Girls Indigo Girls are a folk-rock duo comprised of Amy Ray (born 1964) and Emily Saliers (born 1963). They met in elementary school and started performing together when they were high school students in Decatur, Georgia. W-I They took on the name Indigo Girls when performing at a bar called The Dugout while they attended Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. W-I In 1987, they independently released the album Strange Fire. They signed a deal with Epic Records the following year and released their major-label debut, Indigo Girls, in 1989. About the Album “The Indigo Girls come on strong with an outstanding batch of tunes, watertight harmonies, impeccable musicianship, and flawless production.” AM “Crisp guitar work and haunting harmonies became the stock-in-trade of this powerful duo of ‘girls with guitars.’” AZ It “captures the passion of their youth with voices that are a little cloudy, untamed, and raw, but the power that surges through them suggests a maturity far beyond their years.” AM The songs “resound with a profound sense of honesty and raw emotion.” AZ “The same can be said of the songwriting – sheer poetry. To attempt examinations of these songs would not do them justice, for the layers of meaning and emotion unfold best upon repeated listening.” AM The album went platinum and won a Grammy for Best Folk Recording. The duo also nabbed a Grammy nomination for Best New Aritst. Their Influences and Impact The duo “followed the lead of such greats as Laura Nyro and Joni Mitchell…[and] pumped social conscience and self-esteem into ringing acoustic anthems.” AZ “Entering the folk-rock music scene on the successful heels of R.E.M., Tracy Chapman, and 10,000 Maniacs,” AM the pair’s music was perfectly timed to “catch the rising tide of feminist rock.” AZ They would set the stage for even more confessional singer/songwriters who treaded ground between folk-rock and alternative rock, helping pave the way for artists like Tori Amos, Sheryl Crow, and Alanis Morissette. The Songs Here are thoughts on individual songs. “Closer to Fine” “The eponymous release kicks off with the upbeat jangle bounce of Closer to Fine, a modest hit, all-time fan favorite written by Emily Saliers, and a tune the Girls still play at every concert. A particularly fascinating point is that the Indigo Girls never write songs together, but they compliment each other perfectly.” AM Amy Ray Songs “The difference in styles becomes immediately apparent when the more dark and brooding Amy Ray steps up. Her remarkable contributions include Secure Yourself, Kid Fears, and Blood and Fire, spiritual ruminations of life, love, pain, and faith which bury themselves deep inside your core whether invited or not.” AM Emily Saliers Songs “Weighting the opposite scales, Saliers offers a tender balance to Ray with two beautiful ballads, Love's Recovery and History of Us. (Ray's Land of Canaan was once a ballad, but then she heard the Replacements and it became a bit of a rocker.) Chiming in with musical support are Hothouse Flowers, Luka Bloom, and fellow Georgians R.E.M.” AM Notes: A 2000 reissue added live versions of “Land of Canaan” and “Center Stage.”

Resources: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Indigo Girls AM AllMusic.com review by Kelly McCartney AZ Amazon.com review by L.A. Smith WK Wikipedia page on Indigo Girls album W-I Wikipedia page on Indigo Girls Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/24/2008; last updated 12/3/2024.