BarlowGirl

BarlowGirl – composed of sisters Rebecca, Alyssa, and Lauren Barlow – entered the Christian music scene in 2004 with their self-titled album, and since then, they’ve enjoyed critical success and number one hits. They’ve become the spokespersons for teenage girls everywhere who want to live, love, and rock. Now, only five years after bursting onto the public music scene and with help from Otto Price (who has produced the likes of GRITS and dcTalk), BarlowGirl is releasing their fifth studio album, Love & War. That begs the question: is it love at first listen with this album, or is it instead a war?

A little of both. On the love side, BarlowGirl has always been a band that tells it like they see it, both in their own lives and in the world. Their lyrics are often powerfully honest, from their hugely popular past single “Never Alone” to many of the offerings on this album. Especially on this album, the listener can hear the song lyrics reflect the album’s title.

BarlowGirl often sings about how they desire to love God like He loves them, while being honest about how difficult that is in the midst of pain and struggle. One song on Love and War asks God to “stay with me” during a painful struggle “so I won’t leave/ Make me see that this is not forever.” Another song confronts – “You never failed me before/ why do I feel betrayed?” – while still begging God to be close. Even in the midst of love, there is a battle.

A different type of battle is against the darkness of the world. BarlowGirl calls the masses to war, to make a difference and a change in the world around them. In “Come Alive,” the charge is this: “A life that holds no meaning is like a day without the light.” And “Time for You to Go” challenges listeners to fight the meaningless media addictions of this world.

A standout both lyrically and musically is the piano-driven “Tears Fall.” With a Norah Jones–ish quality, the song laments the masses of “nameless graves” due to abortion. A gospel choir adds a soulful background to the chorus and the line “God forgive us now.” BarlowGirl takes a stand on this issue, one that may not be popular in the wider culture but reflects their beliefs about the beauty of life.

Musically, BarlowGirl keeps their signature sound, that of the powerful and driving pop anthems interspersed with heartfelt pop ballads. The pounding drums and strong guitar occasionally gives way to a piano for ballads. While that sound is a good one that appeals to a certain range of listeners, it’s nothing new. The album did not vary much musically, save for three selections; two – in their difference from the rest of the songs – sounded similar to each other and remained in a pop vein (the other, “Tears Fall,” was already noted). BarlowGirl did not take noticeable musical challenges, as many of the songs sounded similar. Even the harmonies were largely predictable.

On a whole, this is a decent offering from BarlowGirl, but there’s nothing too great about it. It is exactly what we have come to expect: female-driven pop/rock. The lyrics are strong in places, but new ground was not broken. It was simply…fine. It was just another BarlowGirl CD. Which maybe should have been enough, but instead felt slightly lacking.

Tagged as: BarlowGirl, Love & War

↓ One comment

#1 grace on September 17th, 2009 at 7:08 pm

Bravo, Sara! so thrilled to see these beginnings of what im sure will be a terrific career!

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