Amy Ray - Goodnight Tender (2014) MP3 / Lossless

Amy Ray's progression as a singer/songwriter has taken her up and down all of the switchback trails of the South, from the dive bars of Saturday night to church on Sunday morning, with some coffeehouses and arenas along the way. ''Goodnight Tender, '' her first country album, integrates all of these influences in fresh, surprising ways and testifies to her range and virtuosity as an artist who is always game to follow a thread of melody into new and rugged territory. Amy Ray, half of Grammy-winning songwriting folk-rock duo the Indigo Girls, is set to release this career first. ''Goodnight Tender,'' on her own Georgia-based label, Daemon Records. It's an old school Southern music album that ranges from traditional country and honkytonk to gospel and Appalachian music. Amy recorded live to analog tape last spring at Echo Mountain Studio in Asheville, NC. The sessions included fiddle, banjo, dobro, pedal steel, guitar, mandolin, bass, and drums gathered round a few microphones to create an authentic, vintage sound. Ray convened a band of old school country players and invited some special guests that cut across genres, including: Justin Vernon, Heather McEntire (Mt. Moriah, Merge Records), members of MegaFaun and vocal appearances by Kelly Hogan and Susan Tedeschi. This collection of 11 Originals by Ray, along with a cover penned by McEntire, is scheduled for release on January 28, 2014.