Barton Hollow

Description

Barton Hollow is the full-length debut album by the American folk duo The Civil Wars (John Paul White and Joy Williams), released on Sensibility Records in May 2011. The album was recorded and mixed by Richie Biggs at The Art House in Nashville, Tennessee; with Charlie Peacock producing for Twenty Ten Music. Additional engineering by Peacock.

The album reached No. 10 on the Billboard 200 Album chart and No. 1 on the Billboard Digital Albums chart, sold over 800,000 copies, and won the 2012 Grammy Awards for both Best Folk Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

A master thesis in the less-is-more ethos, Barton Hollow is the debut studio long-player for The Civil Wars, a minimalist duo consisting of John Paul White and Joy Williams. White hails from Florence, Alabama and Joy Williams, originally from Santa Cruz, California, now resides in East Nashville. She is no stranger to Christian audiences, but boy, has she matured in the years since her last Christian market release. Surprisingly, this beautiful disc is produced by Charlie Peacock, who is noted for restraint in most of his production work. But here he wisely gets out of the way, adding just the right accents with keys, various stringed instruments, and a proper amount of atmosphere. The overall effect provides substantial drama, whether the subject is the complications of love as in the stunning «Poison and Wine» or something darker as heard in the haunting Appalachian groove of the title track, a study in betrayal and redemption, both physical and spiritual. Let me just say that Williams’ and White’s chemistry is so provocative, it’s almost obscene. The vocal lines are amazingly arranged – soaring, lilting and wrapping around each other with just the right amount of vocal control and tension. When Joy sings passion, her voice is drenched in tears and angelic grace, while John Paul’s voice is more terrestrial, earthy and is perfectly complemented by just his acoustic guitar. The band’s name evokes the image of trying to find a pocket of safe ground in the midst of a minefield and is largely a metaphor for relationships. Most of the songs explore that dichotomy with appropriate poetic charm. Unbelievably realized for a debut, Barton Hollow is certainly bound to inhabit many a “Best Of” list by the end of 2011. This record is a must own. As a bonus, there is a provocative re-working of The Jackson 5’s «I Want You Back», as well as a cover of the Leonard Cohen song, «Dance Me to the End of Love». [Shawn McLaughlin, Christian Musician Magazine, March/April 2011]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/barton-hollow/1582343496)

CD tracklist:

01. 20 Years – 3:01
02. I’ve Got This Friend – 3:23
03. C’est la mort – 2:29
04. To Whom It May Concern – 3:30
05. Poison & Wine – 3:38
06. My Father’s Father – 3:20
07. Barton Hollow – 3:25
08. The Violet Hour – 3:24
09. Girl with the Red Balloon – 3:49
10. Falling – 3:58
11. Forget Me Not – 2:56
12. Birds of a Feather – 3:06

Note: Released on both CD and 12-inch vinyl LP. CD packaged in cardboard gatefold sleeve with booklet. The CD was re-issued in Europe in 2012 under exclusive license to Sony Music Entertainment, featuring 6 bonus tracks.