Amy Ray is typically associated with the folk and pop of her band Indigo Girls, but her three solo studio albums employ a wider palette. Ray's 2001 debut features locals The Butchies on five tracks, adding the backing as Ray explores her Southern and punk rock roots. The striking 2005 follow-up, Prom, indulges a high school conceit and, in turn, features some of her best writing, including the lost-friend ode, "Covered For You." Didn't It Feel Kinder, from 2008, is brighter and peppier. It trips from '60s folk and rock to soul, rockabilly and pop, all in the examination of growing up as an outsider in a small town. —Chris Parker