All That We Let In [Slipcase]

Performer: Indigo Girls
Artist: Joan Osborne
Engineer: Glenn Matullo
Producer: Peter Collins
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Includes a bonus DVD of the Indigo Girls' performance at The Bottom Line, New York, New York, on December 4, 2003. This is a DualDisc, which contains a CD on one side of the disc and a DVD on the other. Indigo Girls: Emily Saliers, Amy Ray (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar, mandolin, piano). Additional personnel: Mark Van Allen (pedal steel guitar); David Henry (cello); Carol Isaacs (pennywhistle, ocarina, accordion, recorder, piano, Wurlitzer piano, Hammond b-3 organ, vibraphone, percussion); Rev. Brady Blade (drums, percussion); John Holmes (congas); Joan Osborne (background vocals). With ALL THAT WE LET IN, the Indigo Girls succeed at melding the earthier, folk-based sound of their earlier outings with a more rocking approach. Of course, Emily Saliers and Amy Ray's leftist sentiments are firmly in the mix, with Saliers using the state of the environment as a relationship metaphor in the snappy "Fill It Up Again" and Ray striking a balance between global citizenship and being a good partner in the harmony-laden "Perfect World." On this outing, successful attempts at cavorting in different musical styles make for the best moments. The double-time, Wurlitzer-fueled ska of the infectious "Heartache for Everyone" would make Ray faves the Clash smile, and "Dairy Queen" with its penny whistle-soaked Celtic vibe makes for quite an up-tempo breakup song. Longtime friend Joan Osborne makes her first appearance on an Indigo Girls album since 1999's COME ON NOW SOCIAL and, of the three songs she appears on here, "Tether" is the most moving. Amid a soaring organ line and a swirling torrent of guitars that brings to mind Derek & the Dominos, Osborne's heartfelt phrasing makes a powerful impression alongside Saliers and Ray's equally compelling vocals.

Rolling Stone (2/19/04, p.70) - 3 stars out of 5 - "There's a lightness about the Indigo Girls' ninth album, even on the songs about heartbreak." Entertainment Weekly (2/20/04, p.67) - "[T]heir signature acoustics and harmonies [are still] impressive after two decades." - Rating: B+

Since the late-1980s, the Athens, Georgia, duo of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, collectively the Indigo Girls, have been creating gentle, yet furious harmonies, gloriously un-fragile folk crafted with an uncompromising DIY aesthetic. In 1989, MTV caught wind of the pair and, while the outlet's sensationalist nature harped on the lesbian angle, the station also pushed the single "Closer to Fine" onto the pop charts. The fanbase remained, even after any wisp of novelty faded, and the 1990s saw the Indigo Girls release a constant stream of critically praised records, highlighted by RITES OF PASSAGE and SWAMP OPHELIA.

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