Arts & Entertainment
 

Girls brighten middle of musical road

Lyrics sometimes verge on greatness, but vast experience does not shine through

By Portia-Elaine Gant
The Daily Cougar

There are some lyricists who can employ the English language in a way that creates a physical awareness -- writers who, with words alone, can make music a spiritual experience. And there are others who cheapen the listening experience, debasing the art of music. The Indigo Girls, composed of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, don't fall into either category. Their unfocused musical sound on All That We Let In is catchy at times and fails miserably at others, leaving them short of a victory but far from the pits of J.C. Chasez style post-'N Sync failure.

To their credit, the album's opener, "Fill It Up Again," is an attractive single, written by Saliers. It is one of the few songs with strong lyrical content and a solid musical composition. On their Web site, www.indigogirls.com, Saliers said the song is "about a relationship gone sour, and one person says, 'I'm out of here!' It's about someone taking your strength and power from you, and then you say 'I'm not going to do this anymore.'" "Heartache for Everyone," the second track and a Ray creation, is equally compelling, with lyrics like "Hey Valentine, I'm just stumbling around/ Who knew that Paris was such a lonely town?"

The love song "Free In You" marks the beginning of the end of the album which makes only a small recovery. Even worse, "Tether," the most monotonous track on the album, drones on for more than six painful minutes. It is unimaginable that Joan Osborne lent her talent to such a track, but her contributions to "Heartache for Everyone" and "Rise Up" forgive the earlier transgression.

The closest that the Girls come to anything resembling lyrical brilliance is in "Something Real," where Saliers writes, "So life has brought you this/ Two marriages and three kids/ And me a life as slick as ice that finally hits the skids/ You're as sweet as you ever were/ A slight sickness of regret washes over me/ And in the end that's all I get."

Ray's "Cordova," about her activist friends in the Native American community, is touching, particularly because of the story behind the lyrics. A simple musical arrangement adds richness to the gloomy track.

Musical standards have changed so drastically that listeners are willing to put up with anything that oozes sex. And while the Indigo Girls aren't responsible for the downfall of the availability of good music, after two decades in the industry, they aren't doing anything tremendously positive for it either. However, behind the run-of-the-mill record are Web site addresses for organizations such as Rock the Vote, Honor the Earth and Sweatshop Watch. The ladies advocate global awareness and use their "rock star" status to do something for the world, even if it isn't related to music. That alone deserves respect.

Indigo Girls

All That We Let In

Epic Records

Verdict: It's not Tracy Chapman, but at least it's not Lizzie McGuire.
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