Civil Wars making folk music, not war
While your radio may be inundating you with non-stop songs from Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, and Pink (or is it P!nk?), somebody out there discovered some new music because the number 1 album on iTunes 1 is something called “Barton Hollow” by the Civil Wars. How in the name of Enrique Iglesias did the Civil Wars climb the download charts against the likes of all these pop music stars? A little TV show called Grey’s Anatomy.
The Civil Wars are not a band but a male and female duo (John Paul White and Joy Williams) whose music is probably best labeled as “southern folk.” Williams has the looks of a pretty folk singer if ever there was one, and White is a cross between Jack White and an even scruffier Johnny Depp. Together it works, and fans are starting to gravitate.
Thanks to a Grey’s Anatomy episode back in November of 2009 that played the Civil Wars’ “Poison & Wine,” the duo received a major jump in popularity thanks to TV fans scouring YouTube and Google for more info on the song and the artists. Fast forward more than a year later, and suddenly their debut album touched the top of the downloaded chart for a short time. Yes, the album contains “Poison & Wine” (video below), and while it’s a bit of a surprise that the album is on top while none of the singles are chart toppers, one review suggests that the songs are better when presented as a whole (“It flows, it has a story to tell, it is complete. I’d be wasting money if I only bought individual tracks from iTunes.”) and one must also keep in mind that songs cost upwards of $1.29 each now and the 14-song album can be had for just $7.99, so many listeners likely opted to spend a few bucks more to get the whole thing.
It’s still not music you’ll likely be hearing on a top 40 station anytime soon, but at least if the topic of music comes up, now you’ll have something relevant to offer other than the standard Lady Gaga tidbit.
Read on:
NYDailyNews.com – Barton Hollow (album review)
RadioPotato.com – The Civil Wars Interview: War of the Roses
GACTV.com – The Civil Wars Have a Superfan in Taylor Swift
- as of the time of the Yahoo! story ↩
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I really hope this music isn’t heard on Top 40 radio. It’s the kind of music that needs to be preserved as special and shared like a protected secret. Of course, that’s probably shot now, but you are right, the album is truly a gorgeous masterpiece that needs to be complete.
And THANK YOU so much for the mention for my interview with them. I appreciate it. Great article-