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Artist: The Civil Wars
Label: Sensibility Music LLC
Release Date: February 1, 2011
Duration 12 tracks, 40:32
A chance meeting while attending
a song writer’s workshop in Nashville gave birth to a unique sound and
quality taking the indie world by storm. Amazingly, the Christian pop vocals
of Joy Williams and the country background of John Paul White melded to
create a very truthful story book of love and relationships. This combination
has a tight, clear harmony with each style playing of the other, bringing
the lyrics to a new level. The music is stripped down and raw with an emphasis
on White’s acoustic guitar and minimal use of strings, keyboards and percussion.
Overall, Barton Hollow
is mellow acoustic folk with a hint of modern country along the line of
Fiction Family. The pain of a relationship’s secrets are revealed in the
lyrics of the opener “20 Years” with ‘In the meantime I'll be waiting for
20 years, 20 more I'll be praying for redemption’. “Poison & Wine”,
the song that brought Civil Wars to immediate popularity, highlights the
album’s message with the refrain “I don’t love you, but I always will’.
Like the reincarnation of June Carter and Johnny Cash duets, “Barton Hollow” shows the pair’s full talent. With a hard beat and clean breaks accentuating their sailing harmonies, this song stays with you. This is truly a haunting adventure, particularly when followed by “The Violet Hour”, a piano and cello instrumental, emotionally resetting the album’s tone. “Girl with the Red Balloon” has melancholy lyrics taking you to a world of sepia toned film noire, with harmonies very reminiscent of the late 60s ‘It’s A Beautiful Day’. With enchanting strings soaring, “Falling” restates the album’s theme with ‘I can’t help falling out of love with you’.
Christian producer and musician Charlie Peacock has produced a gem with the combination of these two talents. Williams and White are the perfect musical match. Their vocals play of each other creating a relationship of their own, adding substance to the lyrics and making each song’s story personable, one we can relate to.
http://www.myspace.com/thecivilwars
http://www.facebook.com/thecivilwars?v=info
Scott S Mertens
Artist: The Civil Wars
Label: Sensibility Music LLC
Release Date: February 1, 2011
Duration 12 tracks, 40:32
A chance meeting while attending a song writer’s workshop in Nashville
gave birth to a unique sound and quality taking the indie world by storm.
Amazingly, the Christian pop vocals of Joy Williams and the country background
of John Paul White melded to create a very truthful story book of love
and relationships. This combination has a tight, clear harmony with each
style playing of the other, bringing the lyrics to a new level. The music
is stripped down and raw with an emphasis on White’s acoustic guitar and
minimal use of strings, keyboards and percussion.
Overall, _Barton Hollow_ is mellow acoustic folk with a hint of modern
country along the line of Fiction Family. The pain of a relationship’s
secrets are revealed in the lyrics of the opener “20 Years” with ‘In the
meantime I'll be waiting for 20 years, 20 more I'll be praying for redemption’.
“Poison & Wine”, the song that brought Civil Wars to immediate popularity,
highlights the album’s message with the refrain “I don’t love you, but
I always will’.
Like the reincarnation of June Carter and Johnny Cash duets, “Barton
Hollow” shows the pair’s full talent. With a hard beat and clean breaks
accentuating their sailing harmonies, this song stays with you. This is
truly a haunting adventure, particularly when followed by “The Violet Hour”,
a piano and cello instrumental, emotionally resetting the album’s tone.
“Girl with the Red Balloon” has melancholy lyrics taking you to a world
of sepia toned film noire, with harmonies very reminiscent of the late
60s ‘It’s A Beautiful Day’. With enchanting strings soaring, “Falling”
restates the album’s theme with ‘I can’t help falling out of love with
you’.
Christian producer and musician Charlie Peacock has produced a gem
with the combination of these two talents. Williams and White are the perfect
musical match. Their vocals play of each other creating a relationship
of their own, adding substance to the lyrics and making each song’s story
personable, one we can relate to.
http://www.myspace.com/thecivilwars
http://www.facebook.com/thecivilwars?v=info
Scott S Mertens