Indigo Girls - Retrospective (2000)

Try to think of an enduring, widely respected, artistically progressive female songwriting 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 uptempo but slightly turbulent "Devotion" and Saliers's heartfelt road ballad "Leaving"--are reminiscent of the Girls' younger days but also reflect their artistic growth through subtle lyrical turns and deft melodic variations.