Beauty Queen Sister (Bonus Track Version)

Twenty-plus years into their recording career, The Indigo Girls remain defiant idealists armed with twin guitars and hearts full of hope. Beauty Queen Sister finds them considering love, community, and political change with the perspective only maturity can provide. As before, Amy Ray’s throaty alto and moody songwriting complement Emily Saliers’ honeyed vocals and compassionate lyrics, offering different visions that ultimately combine into a single statement. The struggle to forge lasting connections in both personal and global terms is a recurring theme, expressed in finely detailed vignettes like “John” and “Able to Sing,” as well as in poetic ruminations like “Mariner Moonlighting” and “War Rug.” Ray delivers biting, stripped-down rock with “Making Promises” and the title tune, while Saliers shows off her way with sunny folk-pop in “Feed and Water the Horses” and “We Get to Feel It All.” Especially memorable are “Damo” (a Celtic anthem featuring Irish singer Damien Dempsey) and “Yoke” (a brooding statement of resolve that closes the album).