CMJ (1/5/04, p.26) - Ranked #9 in CMJ's "Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1989"
Indigo Girls: Emily Sailers, Amy Ray (vocals, guitar).
Additional personnel includes: John Jennings (electric guitar); Scarlet Rivera (violin); Lisa Germano (fiddle); Martin McCarrick (cello, accordion); Jane Scarpantoni (cello); Jai Winding, Maggie Roche (piano); Benmont Tench (organ); John Van Tongeren, Dede Vogt, Kasim Sultan, Sara Lee, Edgar Meyer (bass); Jerry Marotta, Kenny Aronoff, Budgie (drums, percussion); Talvin Singh (percussion); Jackson Browne, David Crosby (background vocals).
Producers: Scott Litt, Peter Collins.
Reissue producer: Bruce Dickinson.
Principally recorded at Bearsville Studios, Bearsville, New York.
Digitally remastered by Scott Hull (Classic Sound, New York, New York).
This impressive major label debut (an earlier album was released independently) contains some of the Indigo Girls' finest compositions. INDIGO GIRLS swings between songs of love and philosophical questioning and has become the soundtrack of choice for many a college student. This album is the genuine article-made for staying up late and listening to over and over.
INDIGO GIRLS cuts closer to the emotional bone than most pop/rock records, exploring the pain of becoming an adult with grace and depth that never lapse into pap or sentimentality. The wistful "Kid Fears" benefits from the vocal contributions of Michael Stipe. Standout songs include the students' anthem "Closer to Fine" and "Prince of Darkness," but there are many other fine tracks on this collection. The level of musicianship is unquestionably high. Vocalists Amy Ray and Emily Saliers achieve what one reviewer called "the most richly harmonious vocal pairing in pop music since Simon and Garfunkel."