Love & War

by

Barlow Girl

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Since releasing their self-titled debut in 2004, Rebecca, Alyssa and Lauren Barlow have continuously inspired fans with such intimate portraits, as with their sophomore set, "Another Journal Entry" and with such bold challenges as 2007's, "How Can We Be Silent". For BarlowGirl the focus is always on sharing what God has placed on their hearts. They continue to do just that with "Love & War". According to Becca Barlow: "I think there are two continuous messages that we are trying to get across on this album: One is that time is short and we don't have time to not follow the Lord. We don't have time to do the things we desire to do. It's time to be bold and follow the calling God has in your life. The second message is that it's all about being in love with the Lord and about that relationship with Him. If we don't have that relationship with Him, we can't have the boldness."

The first several songs build on the love and war theme with the upbeat opener "Come Alive" with the cry to "wake up, get out there's no time to waste now" which really gets to the heart of the matter including the charge to "be the change we've all been waiting for". "Open Heavens" keeps the theme of waking up going with the lyrics "can you feel the Spirit move you, calling all hearts to wake". Both songs really grab me and fire me up to stand up for God and for my beliefs. Then, first single "Beautiful Ending" hit me even harder with the challenging "it scares me to think that I would choose my life over You, My selfish heart divides me from You, It tears us apart". The song is beautiful and encourages me to live for God. If you are looking for this album's "Never Alone", "I Need You To Love Me" or "Here's My Life", this is it.

"Stay With Me" keeps the theme of love going with the encouragement that "all I need is Your love pulling me". "Our Worlds Collide" is also about love and the girls share how God has filled their hearts with love. The personal nature of the songs really draws me in as I have 3 daughters and want nothing more than for them to know the Love of God. "Love Is Marching" is another call to action with the very convicting lyrics "so when we breathe our last...... can we say we have lived for more and did we live to die for love".

"Running Out Of Time" brings back the war theme and makes me think about the choices I make and how I spend my time. "Time For You To Go" is the most rocking song on the album and possibly one of the most challenging songs with the lyrics "Isn't it nice to know, That the media will sway our votes, cause seriously we've got to see, that they choose what we know, our morals get thrown away, for the next big thing we've got to see". The song finishes with the bridge reminding us that we've got to think for ourselves. "Sing Me A Love Song" is another personal love song that really paints a picture of BarlowGirl's spiritual walk with the bridge "cause You are what I need, all that I want is You with me". The most challenging song for BarlowGirl to write was "Tears Fall." The beautiful ballad focuses on BarlowGirl's pro-life stance. "Tears Fall" is extremely moving and is filled with emotion including the cry "God forgive us now". The album ends with "Hello Sunshine" with an upbeat melody and optimistic cry to "let my eyes see the beauty".

From opening song "Come Alive", I was hooked by the theme and catchiness of this album, the best overall album by BarlowGirl in my opinion. From the standout first single "Beautiful Ending" to the gorgeous "Tears Fall" and the rocking "Time For You To Go", this album delivers with BarlowGirl's signature blend of excellent harmonies and great musicianship. "Love & War" has been in heavy rotation for me and is one of my top 5 albums of 2009.

BarlowGirl is one of those bands that is so bland and whitewashed that they really hurt any credibility that real Christian musicians might have. Their messages are so trite and poorly written that they can't have any real impact on someone who's not already a fundamental Christian. Just read these lyrics from "Sing Me A Love Song" :

You've never failed me before

Why do I feel betrayed

If I close my heart to you now

The darkness would have its way

I crave your voice help me not fall away

Will you please hold me

Not only is the message weak, it's written on the level of a 9th grader. Or how about these lyrics from "Our Worlds Collide" :

Now that Ive found You

I could never let You go away

You left my life never the same

Sing over me and let me hear the words

You wrote for me

Whisper the words and set my spirit free

Oh, sing to me

This is the kind of junk that gets passed around for Christian lyrics today. BarlowGirl's songs lack substance of any kind. The words are general and vague, written to appeal to both Christian and secular markets. This band only specifically mentions Jesus in two of their songs,and not on this album. The music itself is just manufactured contemporary pop that makes no effort to be anything different.

When people in the media ridicule Christian music, it's bands like this that are the reason. As much as they sing about standing up, being brave, and being different, the truth is that they are just another Christian group too afraid to make any kind of real stand or say anything bold about their faith. Instead they preach about things like dressing appropriately and waiting for a wedding ring. This is the kind of lukewarm Christianity that the Bible speaks against.