Customer Reviews

All That We Let In

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been an Indigo Girls fan for many years. At first, when I received this CD, I wasn't thrilled. I had pre-purchased it because I was so excited to get it. I was hoping it would go back to the harmonies that were found on Rites of Passage where the voices mattered more than the hard-edged guitar in their later works.

However, the more I listened, the more I liked it. It's not my favorite, by far, but it is a great CD and I would buy it again.

I have been a fan of the Indigo Girls since the 80's. I never thought the Girls could top Rites of Passage - still one of my favorite albums of all time. I cannot say All That We Let In 'tops' Rites of Passage, but it does offer the most musically comprehensive, mature song writing from the Girls in many years. I love this album more every time I listen. Just close your eyes and listen to the instrumental intricacies of Fill It Up Again.

Okay, I am more aligned with Emily Saliers' writing and musical style, but Amy Ray's compositions are also strong and classically satirical. I was not thrilled with their last few albums, all of which tried too hard to make a statement or send a political message. This product is all about the music! Overall, this is an excellent album, worthy of top honors. In my opinion, their best work in years!

What makes the Indigo Girls tick? Apparently, it is way more than acoustic guitar. In fact there are tracks on this CD with no guitar at all. At first listen, it may take some getting used to but by the third or fourth time through, you will find yourself hooked. Kudos to Amy and Emily for testing new musical waters! And if you are fortunate enough to be near a tour date, get out and see them -- they get better every time!

I don't know how the Indigo Girls keep churning out such beautiful albums without sounding repetitive. I am amazed at how well they keep me from being bored with their music, after so many years! And the lyrics on this album are incredible. "Free In You" is one of the most touching love songs I've ever heard, and "Fill It Up Again" never fails to make me feel good. This album is worth every penny (if not more).

Having been witness to the Indigo Girls beginnings in and around the Atlanta music scene since 1989, I have grown to respect and follow every aspect of their career. While true, some of their songs may not appeal to everyone (like all musicians), they have never sacrificed who they are and the direction their music is headed. With the release of their ninth album, I can say as a true Indigo Girls fan, that is probably their best piece of work yet. For everything they are as accomplished musicians and story tellers, what has always appealed to me about their music is the power of the lyrics. They are masters of musical imagery and lyric.

Amy has always been edgier. Her songs a bit darker, her delivery harder. Amy has often made me want to shout to the world about injustice and move toward change. Cordova, is an achingly haunting song, harking back to the work she did on her solo cd Stag. If you don't have it yet, get it. She has forged new ground, seeming to soften a bit, but maintaining her edge. Dairy Queen and Heartache For Everyone both have less of the electric edge that she is known for, but that has been replaced by infectious hooks and phrasing. My personal favorite though is Perfect World. A song that moves like the water it talks about, and has the best guitar part since GO.

Emily, on the other hand has been called the romantic and the softer of the two. Over the years, many of her songs have brought me to tears, filled me with hope and made me yearn to sit down and hear every story behind every song. Her work on this cd is nothing short of amazing. I never thought she could surpass Power of Two, but she has come close. With Come On Home and the heart breaking All That We Let In, Emily has painted a picture that even after dozens of hours listening, still takes me to new heights and shows me new things.

I thought their last cd Moments of Forgiveness was their best to date. But after listening to All That We Let In, I stand corrected. Though they can't be compared, and must be looked at like two different pieces of work. This new cd, is certainly my favorite. And owning pretty much everything they have ever done, thats not easy to say.

Since the Indigo Girls first came onto the scene, they've under gone a long and sometimes not-so-careful progression. Building on beautiful harmonies, smart lyrics, and simple guitars on their debut albums, they eventually added electronic instruments and moved to a more produced sound. It worked on some albums, but on others it fell flat - either the songs weren't juicey enough, or they preached so much, and made reference to such obscure moments that it was tough to reach out and embrace the lyrics or the songs. But.... they've hit upon a winning formula on this album. The sacharin sweet melodies and voice of Emily and the raw and edgy stylings of Amy have been blended oh so well. No longer does it sound like they drew up a list of songs needed for an album, split it down the middle, and then headed in their own directions to whip some up. The songs on ALL THAT WE LET IN are very much team efforts, with both girls sharing vocal duties and very often, swapping roles. Emily takes the lead on some faster songs, and Amy takes the slower ballad. Surprisingly, it works great, and when one of them is on lead vocals, the other isn't far behind, always lending a backing harmony. Run through the album the first time, and you might say "There's a few songs on here that will play well, but the rest are too plain". Give it 2 more listens (like I did) and you'll be hooked - it takes a careful ear to pick out and begin to appreciate the subtleties of their body of work on this album. Here's to hoping they keep this going on the next album...

I, like most of the other people who've already written reviews, am a huge Indigo Girls fan. I can't claim I've been a fan since they started because I was probably being born right around that time. Maybe that discounts everything else I'm going to say for some people, but to me that just points out how transcendingly appealing this music is. I like it, my fifty year old mother likes it, my little sister likes it, my best male friend likes it.
I can understand the comments that say that this CD is overproduced. I'm a big fan of the very spare early music too, and I started getting a little nervous with the slick sound of the Become You (which ended up growing on me after all) and this is also very produced in the same sort of way. But, sometimes that can be really interesting and good. Besides, they've stayed true/consistent lyrically and melodically unlike lots of other people (cough, cough...I'm talking to you, Jewel) and they haven't crossed the line where the special effects ever truly overpower those great attributes.
My favorite song is the title track, which is completely beautiful. I also really love Free In You, Come On In, Fill It Up Again, Heartache For Everyone, Perfect World. Ok, I guess I just named about half of the album. And most of those were Emily songs. Basically every song on this album is worth listening to over and over- Amy's songs just make you work a little harder for the affection. But, yeah, Dairy Queen is great and her voice sounds really beautiful on Cordova.
On a side note, the cartoon-y album theme upped the "hipness factor" for some dubious indie rock/alternative types I know. Haha. I guess that's a good thing. I highly recommend this CD, but would definitely encourage it as part of a collection that includes earlier albums as well. I love Swamp Ophelia a lot more than most people seem to and Rites Of Passage and Indian, Nomads, and Saints are both also favorites. If you don't like more acoustic folk-ish music though, stick to this or the previous album. In either case, enjoy!

I have been a loyal Indigo Girls fan for almost 17 yrs.However,I had found their 2 latest Cds lacking in the formula that Amy and Emily had concocted over the years.
Their first albums carried messages that traveled as a bullet
into the soul while showcasing the twosome'talents.Gladly,
I find their current release going back to that;it is a project featuring gorgeous harmonies and fierce poetry while voicing their feelings unapologetically.My favorites are A PERFECT WORLD and HEARTACHE FOR EVERYONE.CORDOVA's reference to the Spanish Civil War took me back to my Political Science class in college.A great album!

This one on the whole is good and has some of the best stuff they've done in a while. Emily Saliers has some truly great songs on this, but it contains some of the dumbest lyrics ever penned by Amy Ray and considering the likes of "Chickenman," "Scooterboys" and "Lazyboy" (the last one's on her solo CD) that's saying a lot. I gave Ray major points for fitting baroque in a song on the previous release, but "I heard you were dunk and mean at the Dairy Queen," is just painful to the ears.

Get the edition with the bonus DVD if you can find it.

Excellent CD. Some of the songs don't really hit you the first time you listen to them, but once you hear them a few times and know the words, you're hooked. If you like the Indigo Girls, you won't be dissapointed (as if you ever are by them).
"All That We Let In" is such a beautiful song, the lyrics are so beautiful, it just sweeps you in. So is Cordova, although on a more somber note. Dairy Queen is such an uplifting view of a not so happy situation (end of relationship). I can go on and on. Get this CD, put it in your car and take a long drive.