Sometimes you can make it on your own
As an Indigo Girls fan, I’ve sometimes felt like something was missing from Amy Ray’s solo records. Her alto voice was strong, to be sure, along with her political convictions and commentaries on gender. But, to me, the sound was incomplete. With Ray’s latest album, however, I no longer yearn for her voice to be paired. When I hear Ray’s whisper-sweet soprano on the verses of “Stand and Deliver” and “She’s Got to Be,” I almost forget there was ever an Emily Saliers. This is Ray’s first solo record guided by an outside producer, Greg Griffith, and you can see his influence: Ray’s voice pushes into new territory, and there’s some extra sparkle and sheen in the production. Don’t let Kinder’s name fool you—the grit of her previous albums, with their fuzzed guitars and angry lyrics, is still present.