CD Release - Indigo Girls gone wild

There's something alternately reassuring and unsettling about the Indigo Girls' latest release, Despite Our Differences. It is being promoted as a landmark release of sorts, on many levels. They're celebrating 20 years together (even though they formed in 1985) and their first album on Hollywood Records after leaving Epic Records last year. There's also the fact it was recorded outside their "comfort zone" of Georgia and instead in the California home of producer Mitchell Froom.

Throw in some guest vocals by Pink and newbie singer/songwriter Brandi Carlisle, and you'd think we'd have something revolutionary going on here.

What's unsettling about all this is how — despite all these differences — familiar Despite Our Differences still sounds. Because no matter how boundaries are pushed, the Indigo Girls remain a very reassuring duo who trade on soft-imagery lyrics, pitch-perfect harmonies and soothing acoustic flourishes. Still politically savvy, still relationship-weary, still pondering everything from feminism to the good old healing power of love, this pair comforts even when it tries to challenge.

It's a shame the Girls didn't push the boundaries even further, because efforts such as "Rock and Roll Heaven's Gate" are flat-out head-turners by their standards. Not only does the tune start out with, and ultimately soar on, (gasp!) electric guitars, but Pink's background vocal delivers the kind of edge and muscle that Amy Ray should risk more often. Even though "Gate" is an R.I.P. to a punk-rock movement that the Girls seem to glance from afar, it doesn't detract from the notion that they can indeed rock when properly motivated. When you have Pink, why hold back?

Ditto Carlile's contribution to the closing song, "Last Tears." Her vocals fit right in on the harmonies and on their own, but don't necessarily bring much new to the table. "I'm gonna rack my mind one last time until I cannot think/I'm gonna dip into your memory and take a good stiff drink," Emily Saliers sings. "And when I'm drunk on the last drop of sadness about how we went wrong/I'm gonna play this song... ."