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Between the Bars

Music keeps flowing from The Civil Wars, and this four-song EP of covers is not filler. In fact, all four songs - Sour Times, Between the Bars, Billie Jean and Talking in Your Sleep - could easily have wound up on a full-scale release by Joy Lynn Williams and John Paul White. Including Billie Jean should come as no shock to anyone who has seen them live because this was a staple in their live gigs (although probably a surprise if you hadn't seen them before). The Michael Jackson song ...

The Civil Wars

One gets the distinct sense that there's a storm a brewing on the jacket of The Civil Wars major label debut. It appears that a huge plume of black smoke is all that remains. And that depiction may be most accurate in a number of ways for The Civil Wars, the duo of Joy Williams and John Paul White. First and perhaps foremost is that Williams and White seem to be at professional odds. As for the material contained here, for the most part, it's about relationships that either have or ...

Barton Hollow

Upon first listen, The Civil Wars comes off like a more Southern version of She & Him. While She & Him draws upon classic pop elements, The Civil Wars is much more country and folk focused. Charlie Peacock produced "Barton Hollow," giving it a simple, sparse acoustic sound; one that is very different from the man's usual solo music or other productions (early Switchfoot albums, which are all comprised of sharp electric guitar rock, and his own solo work veers closer to blue eyed soul). ...