Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Powerful Compilation and a Return to Roots, March 25, 2009
There were some who said that the Indigo Girls changed with the release of "Become You," a change that continued with "Despite Our Differences." While both of those albums were classic IG, they did carry a different feel, with "Despite Our Differences" especially carrying a more pop-type theme. When the Girls were dropped unexpectedly from the Hollywood label and decided to strike out on their own, I was one of the skeptics.
Fortunately, "Poseidon and the Bitter Bug" met all expectations and banished any doubts that I might have had -- on top of being a powerful comeback CD after the Hollywood Labels hooplah, "Poseidon" is also something of a return to the Indigo Girls' roots as true folk-rock musicians.
Ray and Saliers combine for a powerful duo, continuing in their usual method of splitting the tracks between themselves. Saliers' tracks tend toward the darker or more melancholy on this collection, but they create a subtle power while Ray continues to draw her conclusions through metaphor and lush imagery. Each track has its own strengths and weaknesses, but "Poseidon" itself is something of an original idea. While at times the flow is somewhat put off, it comes together for something with spark and originality in an industry that seems to have largely lost that spark.
The best feature of "Poseidon and the Bitter Bug," however, is the inclusion of a second CD. True fans of the Indigo Girls will be utterly thrilled because the second CD is essentially a deconstructed acoustic rework of the original. The songs are in a different order with one new track that wasn't featured in the studio album, and it's merely Ray and Saliers doing what they've been made famous for: playing and harmonizing in perfect and oftentimes mesmerising melodies.
"Poseidon and the Bitter Bug" is a classic Indigo Girls album, both a continuation of some more innovative songwriting and also a return to the formulas that made them so successful and powerful in the first place. The studio release will likely please both old fans and new fans, while Indigo Girls purists who disliked "Become You" and retained their love for works like "Swamp Ophelia" will be thrilled by the acoustic sessions.
In the end, "Poseidon and the Bitter Bug" is everything that got me started on the Girls -- melancholy and brave, dark and light, folk and rock, country and bluegrass, a spark of originality and a true talent for melodious harmonizing coming together in one spectacular package.
5/5 stars.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Indigo power back on track! BUY THE 2-CD SET!!, March 25, 2009
This CD exemplifies why I love Indigo Girls. In my opinion, it is far better than the last two albums. But please buy the acoustic CD - you'll not regret it because it's minimalism reveals Amy and Emily at their very best. Both are incredibly talented and are overlooked way too often by the entertainment press. There are not many artists who can write all of their own songs (each crafts their song, then get together to arrange), walk into a small venue carrying only two guitars, without amplifiers, and create truly moving, beautiful music with thoughtful lyrics. That they have prevailed for nearly 30 years, and left a legacy of nearly 250 songs in an extremely competitive, male-dominated, industry attests for itself. Musical tastes are subjective, and so I won't elaborate on why Ghost of a Gang, True Romantic, Love of Our Lives, and Second Time Around are my favorites. But I think that most who enjoy harmony and meaning in song will really enjoy this laudable piece of work.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A welcome return to form, March 26, 2009
I know it sounds like a cliche but "Poseidon" really is a return to form for Indigo Girls. It's an album I've been waiting for for a very long time. The key? It's an acoustic album. Even the "big band" versions are mostly acoustic...this harks back to the halcyon days of "Stange Fire" and "Indigo Girls" and it's a welcome return to that sound.
I just got the album today and I can't stop playing it. I love the "And I Love Her" style guitar break on "Sugar Tongue"...I just can't get over that! It's so cool!
Every song is great...I can't tell yet but this could be one of their strongest albums.
I love hearing the stripped down acoustic arrangements on the second CD. I've heard the acoustic arrangement of "Perfect World" and it shreds the over-produced version on the "All That We Let In" album....I wish they'd given us an acoustic disc of that whole album as well but I'm grateful for this one. I hope they continue this practice...it's a great idea, especially for this group.
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