Rating: ** (2 out of 4)

Availability: Widely Available

There's a problem with creating an album as memorable as the Indigo Girls' Rites of Passage. Everybody expects more from you when you finally go back to record a new album.

As an album, Shaming of the Sun is all right. It's not fantastic, but it's all right. Compared to Rites of Passage, however, it is less than successful. The primary problem with Shaming of the Sun is that it doesn't even approach the full potential of the Indigo Girls. Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have proven before on the self-titled Indigo Girls and, yes, on Rites of Passage that they are capable of writing potent tunes of great musical quality and power. The problem with Shaming is that it makes you wonder why Amy and Emily decided to take a break on this particular album.

The album is not without its moments. In particular, the first two tracks, "Shame On You" and "Get Out the Map" are a lot of fun and hint at an album that could rival their earlier releases for quality. Unfortunately, the rest of the album fails to live up to that promise. "Shed Your Skin" is a creepy song that should crawl up your spine with its dissonant guitars and rough vocals, but after the chills of "Jonas and Ezekiel," it seems a bit anticlimactic and a touch ritualistic. "Caramia" should be a touching love ballad and a song tinged with despair and regret, but it comes off as being less than memorable.

When considered by itself, there's really nothing wrong with Shaming of the Sun. The problem only appears when you consider it as part of a larger body of work. The Indigo Girls are living in their own shadows, and instead of responding by pushing the envelope, they seem to have fallen into a routine. Shaming of the Sun is a CD for die-hard fans. For those who wish to expose more people to the Indigo Girls' music, I would recommend finding a copy of Rites of Passage.

The opinions expressed in the above reviews are those of Glen Williams and may not represent the views of slac.com or any of its members. Compliments, complaints, and comments should be addressed to gandalf@tricon.net

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