Sensibility Music

Sentimental without the cloying clichés and romantic without being precious, country-tinged singer/songwriter duo The Civil Wars makes music to fall in love to on its debut effort Barton Hollow. Composed of Joy Williams and John Paul White, who met by chance and found that they had an instant sonic connection, this twosome quickly drew a buzz with the EP Poison & Wine, which was a viral hit. Barton Hollow weaves together intricately crafted melancholy dirges about love, loss and everything in between with twanging guitars, bold piano tones and dynamic vocal melodies that ooze with palpable chemistry. The slow-building stunner “Poison & Wine” conveys the love/hate dichotomy of romance, while the cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me to the End of Love” subtly conjures a deep-seeded passion through pared-down guitar strums and pitch-perfect vocals.