Barton Hollow
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.
Scott S Mertens
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