Indigo Girls (album)

Indigo Girls
Studio album by Indigo Girls
Released	February 28, 1989 October 3, 2000 (Reissue)
Recorded	1988
Studio	Ocean Way, Hollywood John Keane, Athens, Georgia Can Am, Tarzana, California
Genre	Folk
Length	44:36 51:43 (2000 reissue)
Label	Epic
Producer	Scott Litt
Indigo Girls chronology
Strange Fire (1987) Indigo Girls (1989) Nomads Indians Saints (1990)
Singles from Indigo Girls
"Closer to Fine" "Tried to Be True"

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[2]
Hi-Fi News & Record Review	B:2 [3]
New Musical Express	8/10 [4]
The Philadelphia Inquirer	[5]
Q	[6]
Rolling Stone	[7]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide	[8]
The Village Voice	C− [9]

Indigo Girls is the second studio album and first major label release by American folk rock duo the Indigo Girls. It was originally released in 1989 by Epic Records, and reissued and remastered in 2000 with two bonus tracks.

Upon its release, the album received mostly positive reviews from critics, went gold after six months and eventually went platinum. The duo was nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy (losing to Milli Vanilli, who later vacated the award), and won one for Best Contemporary Folk Recording.

Michael Stipe sang on "Kid Fears", and the other members of R.E.M. performed on "Tried to Be True". In addition, the Irish band Hothouse Flowers contributed background vocals on several tracks, notably "Closer to Fine".

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Closer to Fine"	Emily Saliers	3:59
2.	"Secure Yourself"	Amy Ray	3:34
3.	"Kid Fears"	Ray	4:33
4.	"Prince of Darkness"	Saliers	5:22
5.	"Blood and Fire"	Ray	4:37
6.	"Tried to Be True"	Ray	2:56
7.	"Love's Recovery"	Saliers	4:21
8.	"Land of Canaan"	Ray	3:55
9.	"Center Stage"	Ray	4:46
10.	"History of Us"	Saliers	5:20
Total length:			44:36

2000 reissue bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"Land of Canaan" (Radio Single Remix)	Ray	3:06
12.	"Center Stage" (Live)	Ray	4:04
Total length:			51:43

Personnel

Indigo Girls

• Amy Ray – lead vocals (2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9), support/harmony vocals (1, 4, 7), guitars
• Emily Saliers – lead vocals (1, 4, 7, 10), support/harmony vocals (2, 3, 6, 8, 9), guitars, 12-string electric guitar (2), lead electric guitar (6)

Additional personnel

• Peter O'Toole (Hothouse Flowers) – mandolin on (1,2), backing vocals (1)
• Fiachna Ó Braonáin – tin whistle, backing vocals (1), Hammond organ (2)
• Liam Ó Maonlaí – bodhrán and backing vocals (1)
• Luka Bloom – backing vocals (1)
• Paulinho Da Costa – percussion (1, 2, 4, 8)
• Dede Vogt – bass (2, 3, 7, 10)
• Jay Dee Daugherty – drums (2, 4, 8)
• John Keane – 12-string electric guitar (3), bass (4), shaker (6), slide guitar (8, 9), bass drum (9)
• Michael Stipe – backing vocals (3)
• Bill Berry – drums (6)
• Peter Buck – electric guitar (6)
• Mike Mills – bass (6)
• Jai Winding – piano (7)
• Kasim Sulton – bass (8)
• John Van Tongeren – keyboards (10)

Charts

Chart (1989)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [10]	64
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [11]	78
US Billboard 200 [12]	22

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [13]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. McCartney, Kelly. "Indigo Girls – Indigo Girls". AllMusic . Retrieved February 25, 2012.
2. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN   978-0-85712-595-8.
3. Clark, Pete (September 1989). "Review: The Indigo Girls — Indigo Girls" (PDF). Hi-Fi News & Record Review (magazine). Vol. 34, no. 9. Croydon: Link House Magazines Ltd. p. 101. ISSN   0142-6230. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 2, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021– via World Radio History.
4. Staunton, Terry (July 8, 1989). "Indigo Girls — Indigo Girls (Epic Records)". New Musical Express . London: IPC Limited. p. 33. ISSN   0028-6362 . Retrieved May 27, 2023– via Flickr.
5. Moon, Tom (March 12, 1989). "Indigo Girls: Indigo Girls (Epic)". The Philadelphia Inquirer .
6. "Indigo Girls: Indigo Girls". Q (172): 124. January 2001.
7. Guterman, Jimmy (May 4, 1989). "Indigo Girls: Indigo Girls". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
8. Berger, Arion (2004). "Indigo Girls". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  404–05. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
9. Christgau, Robert (November 28, 1989). "Consumer Guide: Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice . Retrieved February 25, 2012.
10. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
11. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6355". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
12. "Indigo Girls Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
13. "American album certifications – Indigo Girls – Indigo Girls". Recording Industry Association of America.