BarlowGirl - Love & War

Producer:  Otto Price
Record Label:  Fervent/Curb/WB Records
Website:  http://www.barlowgirl.com

BarlowGirl quietly entered the Christian music scene several years ago.  I remember the first time I saw the band in person.  It was BarlowGirl’s first GMA Week, and their publicist was slowly taking them around to all their interviews.  They looked like scared little puppies who didn’t know their way around.  A full year later, BarlowGirl was one of the most talked about bands in Christian music - and getting an interview with them was almost impossible for a no-name journalist like myself thanks to their hit single “Never Alone.”  Since that time, the popular trio of sisters has released three studio records and a Christmas recording and are now releasing their fourth major release - Love & War.  It seems that with each release - BarlowGirl has become less and less a rock band and more and more an epic vocal group thanks to the immaculate production work of Otto Price.  Love & War continues down that path and is the group’s finest record to date.  The girls’ voices soar over gritty guitars and epic arrangements - particularly cuts like the opening track “Come Alive” and first radio cut “Beautiful Ending.”  Most of these arrangements fit the girls very well - and are a bit more diversified than past releases.  “Our Worlds Collide” is a much more in your face pop number, while “Hello Sunshine” recalls a more 70’s era pop tune.  “Sing Me a Love Song” features bellowing strings before all three voices mesh to create a stirring worship tune.  “Love Is Marching” is a haunting ballad and sure album highlight.  Lyrically, the trio focuses on encouraging a generation of Christians to wake up and realize the call of God on their lives.  This evident on cuts like “Come Alive,” “Our Worlds Collide,” and “Love Is Marching.”  Overall, Love & War may not be the best record of the year, but it’s easily the strongest thing BarlowGirl has put out in their short career.  If they continue down this path - the sky’s the limit for the band!