Crunchy where they might have been folky before, flinty where they might have been wistful, the Indigo Girls’ punchy “Happy in the Sorrow Key” simply pulls no punches.
Amy Ray’s new song, which advances the upcoming One Lost Day, talks frankly about the setbacks that surround every endeavor, every life. We all go through them, of course. But, more importantly, the Indigo Girls seem to be saying that we must go through them in order to find true happiness in our day-to-day pursuits.
Listen long enough, and the undercurrent of activism on “Happy in the Sorrow Key” is inescapable. That’s in keeping with the Indigo Girls’ approach to stardom. Amy Ray and Emily Sailers are just as likely to be found on stage as they are, say, protesting the Keystone XL Pipeline. But there’s a larger message here, one of understanding the temporal nature of suffering — and celebrating the things we do to overcome that pain.
As for the track’s brawny musical approach, credit a largely new approach to songmaking. Brady Blade and Carol Isaacs return from the Indigo Girls’ most recent studio effort, 2011’s Top 40 hit Beauty Queen Sister. (Some of their regular touring band were part of the Nashville sessions, as well.) But the Indigo Girls brought in a new producer in Jordan Brooke Hamlin, and a new mixing crew as well.
The results arrive with a jolt. This ain’t the same old Indigo Girls. They’re tougher, wizened, yet still every bit as a relevant. “Happy in the Sorrow Key” is due as part of One Lost Day on June 2, 2015 via Vanguard Records.
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