2011’s Barton Hollow is the latest release from Nashville-based pop/country duo The Civil Wars. The album and the band have garnered a lot of attention recently, not least because of the two awards they picked up at this year’s Grammys. Members Joy Williams and John Paul White have seen a tremendous amount of success since they met in 2008. Barton Hollow is melodic, stripped back, and very often beautiful. Williams and White harmonize like two broken-hearted songbirds, a sound which is complemented by minimalist instrumentation and crisp production. The songs deal with love — mostly the doomed kind. The track “20 Years” is a shining example of The Civil Wars at their best-restrained and tender modern country.
Unfortunately, the majority of the album does not live up to the few tracks that make it worthwhile. Barton Hollow is pretty without a doubt, but pretty is an easy mark when you’re singing ballads. Songs like “Falling” and “Poison & Wine” are solid but bland pop songs, the kind of thing that you might expect to hear on a chick flick soundtrack (and sort of did; see: Grey’s Anatomy). There is a little bit of Gillian Welch and a lot of The Everybodyfields in Barton Hollow, but it lacks the honesty of both. Still, when The Civil Wars hit, they hit hard. If you can get past the polish there are some real gems on this album. Also, be sure to check out “Safe & Sound,” the collaboration they did with Taylor Swift. As much as it shames me to admit, I sort of liked it.