Track Listing

1. Pendulum Swinger
2. Little Perennials
3. I Believe In Love
4. Three County Highway
5. Run
6. Rock and Roll Heaven's Gate
7. Lay My Head Down
8. Money Made You Mean
9. Fly Away
10. Dirt and Dead Ends
11. All The Way
12. They Won't Have Me
13. Last Tears

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19388 in Music
• Released on: 2006-09-19
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced

Amazon.com
The Indigo Girls, now marking their 20th anniversary, were in a bit of slump before turning to producer Mitchell Froom, who serves them well on this energized effort--their 10th studio album and first for a new label. Recorded at Froom's home studio in Santa Monica, California, the album finds Ray, Saliers & Co. trying a few new things--recording with everybody in the same room, for example, and stepping further out of their acoustic framework for an enhanced sonic landscape, e.g., the Beatlesque "Little Perennials." They also invited impressive newbie Brandi Carlisle to harmonize on "Last Tears," one of the disc's most memorable tracks, and called on Pink (the IGs appeared on I'm Not Dead) for "Rock and Roll Heaven's Gate." All this contributes to a fresher sound and attitude, but the songwriting (Amy's rock leanings, Emily's moody balladry) is up a notch, too, with the social activism ("Pendulum Swinger") better expressed and more sophisticated than their usual banner-waving. What hasn't changed is the way the duo's vocal lines entwine like tangled lovers--at their best, it's hard to tell where one leaves off and the other begins, their corduroy-and-denim harmonies becoming a sort of third tone. That's a neat trick for voices as diverse and distinctive as these, still commanding as they enter their third decade. --Alanna Nash

Customer Reviews

The power of two
The Indigo Girls are a rare breed: a powerful group (of two) who have created music of the highest quality for over two decades. The only negative comment I think one could make at this point would be that they are consistent, while our culture is addicted to novelty. But, the Indigo Girls have never sacrificed the cutting edge, whether musically (as on "Swamp Ophelia" and "Shaming of the Sun") or lyrically (for example, "Come On Now Social" and "Rites of Passage").

Both Emily Saliers and Amy Ray are master lyricists. They conjur images, ideas, themes, and styles from our often-overlooked & forgotten heritage, infuse them with 'au courant' and transform them into immediate, relevant, fully textured discourse.

"Despite Our Differences" - their first of five contracted albums with their new label, Hollywood Records - finds the Indigo Girls in true form, tackling 13 new songs with their unique, unhurried style. In my opinion, this is their finest overall release since "Come On Now Social" in 1999.

Something new on this album: "Rock and Roll Heaven's Gate" features P!nk on background vocals. (The Indigo Girls were also featured on P!nk's last album, contributing vocals to the politically charged ballad "Dear Mr. President.") If this song is any indication, I think it would be great to see more collaboration with the younger generation of musicians. After listening to "Despite Our Differences" several times over the past four days, this powerful song with inspired vocals has emerged as a favorite.

If you're a fan who has taken a break, now is the time to get back on the bus. From Emily's gorgeous "I Believe In Love" to Amy's amazing "Dirt and Dead Ends" this is not one you want to miss.

Saliers and Ray are white hot
Let's get it out of the way right now. As artists, the gay activist duo can be hard for some folk to swallow. Their most loyal fanbase, if you've ever been to a live show, is largely made up of women of the same conviction. Don't be too quick to stereotype, though. As a white protestant straight male with a wife and a kid, i report that this latest album by the Indigo Girls is as approachable yet subtly addictive as any Indigo Girls album's ever been.
Amy and Emily,both in their prime, crank out song after song of harmonic genius. Emily continues to merge what she refers to as the secular with the sacred, with such lyrics as "But you can't keep a spirit down that wants to get up again/ If we're a drop in the bucket/ With just enough science to keep from saying f*ck it/ Until the last drop of sun burns its sweet light/ Plenty revolutions left until we get this thing right" . Amy paints what may be the most vivid and burning image of the unexpected turn taken by a neighborly relationship in "Dirt and Dead Ends", "It's been you and me on this frontier/trying not to be suburban pioneers./Fighting off the pavers and the associations,/and the covenants against the trailers."
Despite Our Differences has only been available for a day now, but i've already gotten enough mileage out of the tracks to know that it'll be at the top of my playlist for a long, long time. There's plenty here to get lost in, and, as always, the Indigo Girls have offered up a setlist of songs that transcend the latest fads in the music industry. Do yourself a favor and check out Despite Our Differences.

A return to the power of their early albums
The Indigo Girls made two very solid CDs in Become You and All That We Let In. They were full of good songs, yet the production was missing some of the power of albums like Rites Of Passage and Swamp Ophelia. Yet instead of the acoustic sound often found on those albums, on Despite Our Differences, the Indigo Girls have gone more electric. Same power - different approaches. My favorites are the rocker "Rock And Roll Heaven's Gate" and the ballad "I Believe In Love." The Indigo Girls' writing on here is also a return to form, expanding their metaphors and comparisons. A great addition to their library!