1. The One That Got Away - Unlike the Katy Perry song, this one doesn't lament a lost lover, but rather laments that the lover is still around. This song is dark and, for a duo that has confessed they haven't spoken in almost a year, that makes sense. The song is a slow-build to the rollicking end with the album's first hint of electric guitar. Joy certainly overpowers John Paul here, but it's a memorable song (and it also happens to be the first single from the album). I'm a sucker for this duo's lyrics and the chorus is nothing short of memorable: "Oh, if I could go back in time/When you only held me in my mind/Oh, I wish I'd never ever seen your face/I wish you were the one that got away."
2. I Had Me a Girl - The electric guitar riffs in the beginning are unlike anything we heard from The Civil Wars' first album, "Barton Hollow." But the driving angry guitar segues into a Civil Wars specialty: beautiful harmonies over pounding instrumentation. Joy's vocals are out of this world on this song, and the song, while not lyrically as angry as the first song, has a hard-rock sound that delivers an exciting new direction for the duo, and just went the instrumentation disappears, that's when this duo surprises its audience the most.
3. Same Old Same Old - It's very hard to pick out my favorite song on this album, but this is absolutely a contender. It's a heartbreaker, that's for sure. Like a "do not listen to this song if you're in the middle of a bad break-up" kind of song. But that's probably the intention here, as Joy and John Paul sing of their wishes to leave a lover. They sing: "Do I love you?/Oh, I do/And I'm going to 'til I'm gone/But if you think that I can stay in this same old, same old/well, I don't/I don't." The song really focuses on the beautiful texture of the duo's voices, with minimal instrumentation, and with the last major swell during the final chorus, you'll be swallowing the lump in your throat. What a fantastic song.
4. Dust to Dust - The Civil Wars are best known for their ballad "Poison and Wine." The song on the newest album that comes closest to replicating that magic is this song. The pluck of the guitar adds a backbeat to a song dominated by the piano chords and the mixture of Joy and John Paul's voices. The lyrical content takes a different direction from the end of a relationship to the formation of a possible new one. The two singers comfort each other and assure that the other will no longer be lonely. The song contains perhaps the most telling lyrics on the album: "You're like a mirror reflecting me/Takes one to know one, so take it from me/You've been lonely/You've been lonely, too long." I love this song.
6. Devil's Backbone - Interestingly enough, it's not the rocking instrumentation that I'm digging here; rather, it's the vocal technique displayed by Joy and John Paul. The last minute of the song they go from wailing to coming to a quiet whisper, but still in total unison. It's amazing how badly it could've gone but it works deliciously well. The song content is pretty standard "I'm in love with a bad boy/girl," and there are some religious overtones here, but I like it.
7. From This Valley - After some darkness, this song adds some much-needed light to the album. The duo released this as a promo single a few weeks ago, and I've had it on repeat for a while. I just love it, because it's happy and sing-along friendly, and of course, the vocals are impeccable. The final verse before the last chorus is jaw-dropping. It's just Joy and John Paul's vocals, in perfect harmony, working every technique, as if to show off to the listener and say "Yeah, we sound THAT good." I love this song, and it's placement here adds energy to the album, which could've suffered from too many depressing songs in a row.
8. Tell Mama - This is a cover of an Etta James' song, which doesn't seem like a natural fit, but the arrangement here works beautifully. It's haunting, truly. Joy really owns the song, John Paul providing backup. It floats like a lullaby, but there is darkness here, which really layers the song beyond what Etta James' original incarnation was. It's not exactly a song meant for Joy's year-old son, since it deals with a mother talking about her son's heartbreak, but it's easy to see Joy could've easily sang this song as a tribute to her son, which makes it all the more powerful.
9. Oh Henry - The album gets back to rockin', and it carries the dark themes from the previous song. Joy once again dominates, as has been the case for the album has a whole, and the electric guitar is really prevalent here, although not as much as "I Had Me a Girl." The song doesn't go too over the top, which is great because it could easily have toppled over into the melodramatic, and while The Civil Wars are great at making heart-melting songs, they aren't extravagant and eye-roll inducing. Joy's voice during the last minute of the song is fantastic, especially that amazing last note.
11. Sacred Heart - So...I think this is French? Yep, the song is definitely in French. That doesn't detract from the beauty, it just means I have no clue what they're saying. But Joy and John Paul's French is pretty on point, and it doesn't sound like they're reaching to fake an accent (like when Selena Gomez reached for an island accent on her new album). I'll have to look up the lyrical translation because it's a great song, I hope the lyrics match it.
12. D'Arline - This one doesn't sound edited, like a little acoustic session on a roadside that was put on the album as is. Which is interesting. It helps that they production is minimal unlike other places on the album, and this song seems to be happy, which is a good note to end the album on, and has me hoping that there's light at the end of the tunnel for these two.
Overall, this is a fantastic album, and definitely one of the highlights of the year so far. The production was kicked up and added something special and seemed like a step forward for the duo, which is sad considering they may take no more steps together after this album's release. My sincere hope is that fan reaction and general love for this album will help Joy and John Paul realize they have something I would consider "once in a lifetime"-esque. This duo is an ultimate game changer for music, and this album is solid proof that, through the turmoil, they are the best the music industry has to offer. I'm looking forward to having this album on repeat for months ahead.
Standout tracks: The One That Got Away, Same Old Same Old, Dust to Dust, Eavesdrop, From This Valley
Evan
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