Amy Ray does best when she sticks to her own style. Her new solo album features a few moments where she tries a more radio-friendly vibe that feels contrived. (Photo courtesy of Paul Dunlap and Trevor Morris)
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REBECCA ARMENDARIZ
Friday, August 15, 2008
Shades
of
the
lazy,
bluesy
sound
of
the
Indigo
Girls
pepper
Amy
Ray’s
new
solo
album
but
there’s
also
a
more
processed
rock
sound
that
proves
“Didn’t
It
Feel
Kinder,”
which
dropped
last
week,
isn’t
just
another
addition
to
the
legendary
folk
rockers’
discography.
Ray,
44,
is
half
of
the
Indigo
Girls.
“Kinder,”
her
fourth
solo
release
(including
a
live
album),
was
released
on
her
own
label,
Daemon
Records,
which
she
founded
in
1990.
She
begins
with
“Birds
of
a
Feather”
with
the
echo
of
lo-fi
guitars
and
eerie
tap
of
a
single
snare
drum.
She
repeats
the
question
of
a
chorus,
a
clever
metaphor,
her
voice
echoing:
“If
we
are
birds
of
a
feather,
why
can’t
we
migrate?”
This
is
the
first
solo
album
Ray
produced
herself.
Greg
Griffith,
who’s
also
worked
with
Le
Tigre
and
Vitapup
and
plays
bass
guitar
on
the
album,
helped
Ray
break
through
a
more
tired
folk-rock
pattern
and
explore
the
genre
by
adding
heavier
instrumentation.
“She’s
Got
to
Be
With
Me”
follows,
sounding
like
a
jazzy
’80s
lounge
tune.
The
accompanying
video
should
include
jean
jackets
and
alleyways.
The
bass
line
crawls
throughout
the
verse,
and
Ray’s
voice,
a
percussive
whisper,
follows
it.
Only
when
the
chorus
hits
does
the
song
become
redeemable,
as
she
allows
her
throat
to
open
and
carry
notes
over
harmonizing
backup
vocals.
“Bus
Bus”
enters
faster
than
one
would
expect,
and
as
it
continues,
Ray
steps
out
of
the
persona
she’s
built
and
tries
hard
to
regress
in
age,
to
“fit
in”
with
mainstream
radio.
The
fast-paced
tempo
of
the
track
and
her
rush
to
push
out
repeated
vocals
don’t
fit
her
signature
sound.
“Hey
baby
my
baby
sweet
baby/I’m
on
the
bus
tour
bus
bunk/I
got
my
headphones
on
and
I’m
listening
to/Elliott
rock
rock
rock
rock/Rock
me
to
sleep/I
got
my
phone
on
vibrate
in
case
you
call
me/Rock
me
to
sleep,”
she
spurts.
Ray
and
bandmate
Emily
Saliers
were
part
of
the
original
Athens,
Ga.,
college
rock
scene
that
included
other
queer-friendly
acts
like
the
B-52s
and
REM.
Songs
like
“Bus
Bus,”
sadly,
have
no
apparent
root
in
that
period.
“Cold
Shoulder,”
however,
is
more
like
it
—
acoustic
and
clear
storytelling
with
a
short,
raucous
chorus.
On
“Who
Sold
the
Gun?”
Ray
channels
doo
wop
for
her
background
chant
while
she
wails
overtop,
wondering
what
drove
the
student
at
Virginia
Tech
over
the
edge
while
comparing
the
tragedy
to
a
blind
society
in
a
seemingly
endless
Iraq
war.
The
political
undertones
Ray
includes
in
her
writing
stem
from
the
variety
of
causes
she’s
undertaken.
She’s
an
activist
for
gays,
women,
Native
Americans,
the
Zapatista
movement
in
Mexico,
environmental
protection,
anti-death
penalty
legislation
and
gun
control.
Much
of
the
gay
community
sees
she
and
Emily
Saliers
as
champions
of
the
movement.
“SLC
Radio”
is
Ray’s
ode
to
the
diverse
younger
generation
of
Salt
Lake
City,
and
how,
in
general,
the
kids
are
growing
up
and
breaking
away
from
traditional
conservatism.
The
anthem
rings
with
choruses
in
unison
and
escalating
guitars.
Ray
reaches
into
her
higher
range
for
“Stand
and
Deliver”
and
creates
a
heavenly
tone
with
the
help
of
musician
Brandi
Carlisle,
whose
harmonies
are
scattered
throughout
the
album.
Ray
rounds
out
“Kinder”
with
“Rabbit
Foot,”
a
stripped-down
showcase
of
her
voice,
highlighted
by
the
light,
tribal
tapping
of
drums.
It’s
apparent
that
when
Ray
sticks
to
what
she
knows,
it
works.
Trying
to
make
her
sound
a
little
“fresher,”
more
“hip,”
doesn’t
quite
work
—
it’s
too
strained.
Playing
slightly
updated
versions
of
her
folk-rock
staples,
though,
exceeds
expectations.
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