Amy Ray
Biography
The tenth solo effort from Amy Ray, If It All Goes South is an album born from deep devotion to creating music that strengthens the soul. Over the course of 10 gracefully crafted and galvanizing tracks, the Georgia-bred musician reflects on our collective history and shares her vision for a better future, threading every song with both intensely personal storytelling and clear-eyed observation. Recorded live to tape at Nashville’s Sound Emporium and mixed to tape by Tedeschi Trucks Band sound engineer Bobby Tis, the album owes much of its freewheeling vitality to the potent chemistry between Ray and her longtime bandmates (including guitarist Jeff Fielder, a Seattle-based musician known for his work with artists like Mark Lanegan) as well as such esteemed guests as Brandi Carlile, Allison Russell, The Highwomen’s Natalie Hemby, I’m With Her, and more.
In keeping with the spirited eclecticism that’s always defined Ray’s work (the cathartic punk of her 2001 solo debut Stag, the finespun country of 2014’s Goodnight Tender), If It All Goes South encompasses everything from gospel to punkabilly to folk, each handled with equal parts unruly ingenuity and extraordinary precision. Mainly produced by her frequent collaborator Brian Speiser, the album brings that unbridled sound to Ray’s nuanced exploration of matters both emotional (loss, family life, the work of living with joyful intention in endlessly chaotic times) and political (the climate crisis, racial equity, homophobia’s poisonous impact). Rooted in the warmly incisive songwriting Ray has long brought to her role as co-founder of Indigo Girls—the seminal folk duo now in their fifth decade—If It All Goes South ultimately provides the kind of forward-thinking perspective needed to carry on with purpose, hope, and irrepressible joy.
Video & Press
Review: Amy Ray Looks Towards Distant Horizons
[American Songwriter] BY LEE ZIMMERMAN Amy Ray/If It All Goes South/Daemon RecordsFour out of Five Stars Amy Ray is on a good roll lately. Recently accorded a lifetime achievement award for her efforts as part of the Indigo Girls, and a proud mom as well, she can also revel in the release of her seventh solo […]
Amy Ray Announces New Album, “If It All Goes South”
[No Depression] By Stacy Chandler Usually when something goes south, it’s entirely a bad thing. But when Amy Ray looks at it, there’s always something hopeful shining through. Today the Indigo Girls co-founder announced a new solo album, If It All Goes South, with 10 songs that span a wide range of personal and political topics […]
The Alternate Root Review: Amy Ray’s “If It All Goes South”
[The Alternate Root] One of the great things about being a musician is when the colleagues you admire become co-workers. As Amy Ray was digging on Alison Brown’s banjo, playing on one of Alison’s songs, while also wondering how Mark Lanegan and Duff McKagan’s guitarist ended up as her in her band, those artists were […]
Watch Now: Amy Ray’s “Joy Train”
[Garden & Gun] From her recently released solo album, an animated video to lift the spirit in the face of struggle By ELIZABETH FLORIO PHOTO: SANDLIN GAITHER Amy Ray (center) and her bandmates. Amy Ray has been making records since the 1980s as part of the legendary folk duo the Indigo Girls and later as a soulful […]
Amy Ray Shares a Video for “A Mighty Thing” From her Tenth Solo Album, If It All Goes South
Dahlonega, GA; August 9, 2022: Today, Amy Ray announces the release of her tenth solo album, If It All Goes South, out September 16 on Amy’s own Daemon Records, and shares a peek into the album sessions with a DIY video for her upbeat song “A Mighty Thing” featuring Sarah Jarosz. The song, which captures the fervor of a tent revival meeting […]
WATCH: Amy Ray on Playing Live