Indigo Girls' Amy Ray Goes Country with Solo Album 'Goodnight Tender'

The Indigo Girls' Amy Ray is gearing up for the release of her new solo album scheduled for early 2014. Goodnight Tender, a studio country album featuring guest spots from Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, Susan Tedeschi, and Kelly Hogan will officially be on sale January 28 from Daemon Records.

Ray, who’s long been a singer and songwriter for the contemporary folk duo Indigo Girls (with Emily Saliers), is departing from her folk, rock, and punk past (Stag) on her new album, trying to attain a more southern Appalachian story-telling sound, she said. The singer recorded the album, featuring 11 original tracks, at Echo Mountain Studio in Asheville, N.C., and she's already slated three concerts for early 2014. 

“On this record, I really tried to make it storytelling, and not gender-specific or sexuality-specific. When I do my rock and punk solo stuff, it's very driven by a politicized, rebellious idea about gender fluidity, sexuality and human rights. It's an arena, for me, that's very strident,” the out singer told USA Today in a lengthy interview.

Watch the Goodnight Tender trailer below: