Despite Our Differences

After twenty years together the Indigo Girls resemble a married couple who fell in love when both were very young and who have grown together as musicians while developing a strong sense of individual taste and range. Amy Ray is the scrappy fighter, Saliers is the reflective folkie, yet both reserve the right to switch roles without warning. The Girls recorded Despite Our Differences in a month and a half with producer Mitchell Froom (Richard Thompson, Paul McCartney), who captures their harmonies and uncomplicated arrangements without his usual tendency towards left-field experiments and subversive tonal shifts. And if anything, he captures more of their energy than any previous album. “Lay My Head Down” pounds forth from the speakers with the enthusiasm of a song being played for the first time, while the duo sound like an energetic garage band in their pairing with pop star Pink for “Rock and Roll Heaven’s Gate.” And they’ve never been shy telling people what they think as “Money Made You Mean” bears out.