Melanie Sabol – Copy Editor
Off their new self-titled album, “The Civil Wars,” the Grammy Award winning duo offers a country sound with a kick, which I have found to be amazing. “The Civil Wars” American duo is composed of Joy Williams and John Paul White.
The Civil Wars falls under the genre of American and indie folk. The sound that this duo is able to produce not only sets a mood with their lyrics but also with sound that the duo produces with their instruments.
“The One That Got Away” starts off with a solemn instrumental introduction with soft vocals. The chorus is where you really feel the intensity of the mood in which Williams is singing.
Starting off with a rock/country blend, “I Had Me A Girl” is catchy and will have your foot tapping along with it. The duo’s drawl throughout the song blends so well that does not just fit in with the indie folk but blends very well.
“Sam Old Same Old” is not my favorite song off the album. Slow, soft, and quiet melody and vocals but in comparison to some of the other songs off of this album I did not enjoy it.
“Dust To Dust” has a great tempo to go along once again with the vocals. Williams and White’s mix of vocals really is amazing in this song.
“Eavesdrop” really surprised me. I was not crazy about the beginning of the song but by the middle of the song the tempo really does pick up and catches the ear.
Starting right off with singing, “The Devil’s Backbone” has a very indie feel more so than any other song in this album. With the long drawn out o’s and the accent on the word “sinner”.
“From This Valley” is very upbeat and probably my favorite song on this album. This song out of all of them has a country feel to it with its acoustic guitar and the sound of William’s voice. The way that White’s voice is able to come through in the second chorus adds an upbeat tone with the lyrics, “Oh won’t you take me from this valley/To that mountain high above/Oh I will pray, pray, pray/till I see your smiling face/I will pray, pray, pray to the one that I love”.
Soft, quiet, and peaceful is how I would describe “Tell Mama.” It’s about a girl who has thrown her man out of her house and replaced her so quickly and the only way that it will become better is if he “Tells Mama”. It’s a beautiful song and the melody that goes along with it is just perfect for the story that goes along with it.
Another song that starts off with a very country sound is “Oh Henry.” Between the acoustic guitar and the steady beat of the drum, “Oh Henry” sticks out to me the most for its story of a cheating husband and the country tone. Williams gives off a southern drawl towards the end of the song, which I have to say I do enjoy.
A lullaby is how I would describe “Disarm.” To me, I found this song to be too slow for my taste. I understood the story behind the song, but it was not something that worked for me.
“Sacred Heart” is completely in French. While I don’t speak French, I do enjoy the soft and slow melody, yet I was thrown off when French came on.
“D’Arline” blends indie and country once again. With the acoustic guitars and vocals.
With twelve songs on this new album – it is definitely something that you should give a listen too.
