Come on Now Social [Import]

Amy's rocking "Go" sets the scene right from the start.

With Emily's ballad "Soon Be to Nothing" the mood calms down for a while.

The catchy country tune "Gone Again" comes next. One of Amy's best songs on the album.

With Emily's "Trouble" things begin to rock a again. Great vocals. The serious "Sister" is a classical Amy Ray type song .

"Peace Tonight" is a highlight. Catchy and optimistic.

"Ozilline" written about/to Amy grandmother is a traditional type tune. Ozillene actually introduces herself in the beginning of the track.

The next two songs are written by Emily; "Cold Beer and Remote" is by far the better. Catchy melody and funny sarcastic lyrics. Could have been a hit record. Sheryl Crow joins in here!

"Compromise" is probably my least favourite - hardrocking punkrock-type of tune.

"Andy" is another fine Emily ballad.

Last track is Amy's indignant comment the the execution of Faye Tucker; a very moving number.

Why Emily's beautiful "Philosophy of Loss" was only included as a hidden track is really a mystery to me. Along with "Cold Beer and Remote Control", "Peace Tonight" and "Gone Again" this is an outstanding song.

Much has been made of Amy's opening track, 'Go'. It rocks, it kicks ...and it starts the CD off with a bang. But 'Gone Again' is the most infectious song of the lot. Great melody easy and fun to sing. 'Ozilline' is probably one of Amy's finest songs. Great accessible lyrics that are universal yet not cliched (or if they are, they're used in unique ways).

'Sister' is haunting and 'Compromise' blows the foam off your speakers. Its a dry run for her stint with the Butchies a year later, which culminated in her raw solo album. Many have ballyhooed the vocal coda of 'Faye Tucker', but I think it is every bit as haunting as the guitar effects on 'Sister' and fits the dark mood of the song well.

So there you have it, great stuff from Amy...one of her most consistent efforts. This LP, and its follow-up 'Become You', plus her solo disk, Stag represent a highpoint of Amy's career.

For Emily, whose lyrical dexterity usually carries the duo's CDs, this effort has some hits and misses. 'Trouble' is grating to listen to. Its yet another yep-I'm-gay-whatcha-gonna-do-about-it song. I respect the subject matter but its been addressed on other outings and more successfully (try 'Its Alright' on Shaming the Sun). 'Soon to be Nothing' is standard Emily, nothing more. Same with 'Peace Tonight'. Then she hits two homers with 'We Are Together' and the superb 'Cold Beer and Remote Control'. Just as 'Virginia Wolfe' was a revealing look into a young woman's soul, CB&RC is a to-the-bone analysis of a thirty-something couch potato (like myself)...her best of the disk. Andy is a wallow on a back Georgia road...necessary after the pounding fury of Amy's 'Compromise'.

Contentwise, the disk is a pleasure overall. And I play it quite frequently. Ranks in the upper 2/3s of the IG discography.

Two gimicks, though, detract. I thought the over abundance of guest appearances was unnecessary. Or at least the overbearing advertisement of em were. I don't know how much influence the Grrls had on that marketing decision, but it didn't sit well. The other gimmick was the ubiquitous 'bonus track' tacked on to the end of Faye Tucker. I won't go into too much detail, as they are supposed to be a surprise. One is a Saliers toss-off that was probably written 15 years ago (its very cute, though), the other is a reprise of another song on the album - that I don't think should be a bonus, but a legitimate part of the album. I'm glad they're there, but the advertisement of '2 bonus tracks' was unnecessary.

Bottomline: Great work. Get Rites of Passage and Nomads Indians and Saints first...then I'd say you'd do well to make this one of your next purchases.