The Indigo Girls carved out their niche as coffeehouse folkies with just enough modern rock touches to launch them into grander arenas. The duo of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers write in their distinctive styles and then meet for perfect harmony. Shaming of the Sun tones down the grander production of their earlier studio albums, Rites of Passage and Swamp Ophelia, for a refocus on their folk attributes with a few stops into rockier territory. Saliers writes the tender moments, openly expressing homosexual issues with warmth and understanding. “It’s Alright” is assuring with an earnest pop bounce. “Caramia” is colored with a haunting violin. “Everything In Its Own Time” and “Burn All The Letters” confront politics with a vague paranoia hanging over the alluring melodies. Ray counterpunches with the tougher psychodrama of “Don’t Give That Girl a Gun,”  “Cut It Out,” and “Shed Your Skin.” They’re a formidable duo who could be the smart, well-informed girls next door.