From the Vault... 05/22/2016 #1517 info BarlowGirl "How Can We Be Silent" © Fervent Records Year of Release: 2007 Rating: track listing Song For The Broken I Believe In Love Here's My Life Kep Quiet Million Voices Sweet Revenge One More Round Take My Chances The Guy Song I Don't Regret WSVNRadio Archives A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z BarlowGirl related sites: BarlowGirl Website Wikipedia

Previous Review: #1516 Jessy J--Hot Sauce Next Review: #1518 Van Halen--Best Of Volume 1 BarlowGirl "How Can We Be Silent" BarlowGirl consists of the three Barlow sisters -- Alyssa (lead vocals, bass, keyboard), Rebecca (backing vocals, guitar), and Lauren Barlow (co-lead vocals, drums). They are from Chicago. THey are known as a Christian rock band. Their style includes three-part harmony, mixed with rock guitars. Their songs range from ballads to guitar rock. Their first album was released in 2004, BarlowGirl. From it, "Never Alone" topped the Christian Radio and Records chart, and became the longest running song at #1. Their second album was released a year later, Another Journal Entry. From it, the single "I Need You To Love Me" became another track for them to hit #1, for a total of 9 weeks. Their third album in 2007, How Can We Be Silent hit the top of the Billboard Christian Albums chart. Despite it's success on Billboard, the singles from the album were not as popular as their previous albums. Three singles were released, but no success prevailed from any of them on the singles charts. Although the songs did not achieve greatness, the Barlow sisters shows how they can rock. Hard rock, soft rock, regular rock, and maybe sounding a bit Country, How Can We Be Silent shows how the title of this album affects their music: They are not "silent"; they definitely Rock in the Christian faith, and quite honestly, this album is truly enjoyable for the standard fans of Rock music, and introducing themselves to a band of sisters who can easily join the ranks of other popular female Rock acts. Fans of the harder rock Christian will enjoy the opening track, "Song For The Broken." Fans of another Christian ROck band, Skillet can compare their harder rock style here. A softer side (and quite impressive to add), "I Believe In Love" was one othe album's singles. Somehow, the sound on this particular song is compared to the softer Country of Lady Antebellum. (Then again, today's Country sounds more like Rock, and that is the comparison here.) Another softer Rock track continues, with "Here's My Life." "Keep Quiet" is definitely Rock, and could fit on some of the Alternative Rock formats. Harder/Alternative Rock returns on "Million Voices." (Skillet) Softer Rock/(today's) Country'ish gets "Sweet Revenge." Rock on "One More Round," yet it has a different approach than your standard Rock though; maybe not as appealing as the previous Rock tracks on this album. Yet it's different, and it does match all the songs, which makes the album even more enjoyable. I know what it is, it has a Pop Rock style! The harder rock style gets back in motion again, with "Take My Chances." "The Guy Song" keeps the harder rock flowing also. The album ends with the softer sound on "I Don't Regret"; a good way to wind things down. How Can We Be Silent is a great Rock album; a great Christian Rock album... It has the Rock ingredients, the Alternative Rock ingredients. Maybe a bit Punkish too. The "softer sounding tracks" gets a today's Country comparison. So there is quite a bit of everything here. In reading on their first two albums, it seems apparent to look back at how things started out for BarlowGirl. They are a band not to overlook. Rock fans and the harder rock fans and Alternative Rock fans will enjoy this album. As of 2012, the Barlow sisters decided to disband, telling their fans that "God has something new for us." Quote: "We asked God what to do.... God revealed He has something new for us but He hasn't told us what it is. He told us BarlowGirl was done." Here is the original story, from BPNews.net (Baptist Press): NASHVILLE (BP) -- Becca, Lauren and Alyssa Barlow crowded in front of a computer camera on Monday night (Oct. 29) to bid their fans a final farewell after 10 years of singing, touring and recording together as the sister-trio BarlowGirl. Lauren, 27, explained in the live chat that the transition happened as they sat down to write a new album. As they prayed, she and her two sisters realized God "had something new" for them. "We asked God what to do.... God revealed He has something new for us but He hasn't told us what it is," Lauren said. "He told us BarlowGirl was done." The sisters admitted crying for weeks. It isn't something they ever expected to hear, Lauren and Alyssa, 30, said. They expected it to go on "forever." There were no tears Monday night. The sisters cracked jokes, laughed and poked fun at each other while explaining their next steps. They have no concrete plans, but for now they're spending time traveling for fun, enjoying nature and waiting. They also debunked a few rumors, explaining that they aren't retiring because of disagreements or because they want to get married. Originally from Chicago, the Barlow sisters started out as backup singers for their father, Vince Barlow, who created children's worship CDs as part of his work as a youth pastor. As children, the sisters traveled with their father to local concerts and slowly started singing their own songs as part of the show. In 2000, they formed a band, with their father assuming role of band manager. In 2002, Alyssa and Lauren dropped out of college while Becca, 33, quit her job to take up a contract offer, but six months later it fell through. That disappointment inspired their hit song, "Never Alone." In 2003, they signed with Fervent Records, packed their bags and moved to Nashville. The following year, they released a self-titled album that sold more than 1 million copies. Their 2005 single, "I Need You to Love Me," held the top spot on Christian Radio and Retail Weekly's Christian CHR chart for 13 consecutive weeks. The sisters toured internationally, using their musical platform to spread various messages -- among them, the importance of modesty, support for the pro-life cause as well as a more controversial message about not dating. On their website, the sisters explain how they chose to refrain from typical dating, expressing faith that God would bring them together with the right men at the right time. "In the meantime we are not hiding in a closet avoiding all males. We are still living our lives, just without the pressure of having to have a boyfriend," they noted on the website. The question about dating came up during Monday's live Internet stream. The sisters laughed, interrupted and finished each other's sentences while explaining their stance and encouraging fans to "not worry" about finding "the right guy," and instead to "find out who you are with [God]." They gave more advice in response to fan questions about a variety of topics: Don't worry about others' opinions; learn to be at peace in the moment, instead of worrying about the next season; and never dream small. They sang three songs acoustically for fans: "Never Alone," "Beautiful Ending" and "Come Alive." They also released the video for their final song, "Hope Will Lead Us On," which debuted on iTunes early Tuesday morning. To give this up is not easy," Alyssa said toward the end of their chat with fans. "Music is our Isaac. We aren't giving [music] up, we're trying to be obedient. We serve the most amazing, kind, loving, generous God ... why would He let us down?" Their original website, BarlowGirl.com is no longer online, yet you can visit their YouTube Channel here. Their "Never Alone" official video is there, and being a soft ballad, it is a very impressive song. Not only can these girls showcase the soft side of Christian Rock, they can kick in and rock as hard as anyone else. There are other videos of their songs there, and other videos, letting their fans know what they are doing, like their "Behind The Scenes" and "Now and Then" sections. BarlowGirl released two more albums after How Can We Be Silent -- a Christmas album, Home For Christmas (2008), and Love And War (2009). Their debut album would be a good choice to add to the BarlowGirl collection, having their biggest hit, "Never Alone." I'm sure the rest of the album is just as exceptional. The Barlow sisters have songwriting skills to add to their resume. On their second album, not only did they write their own songs, but they also recorded songs written by other popular Christian artists -- Chris Tomlin and David Crowder. How Can We Be Silent by BarlowGirl is highly recommended. It's the only CD I currently have, and after listening to it, I would definitely want to hear more of their music. © WSVNRadio.net. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Fervent Records and is used for reference purposes only. Previous Review: #1516 Jessy J--Hot Sauce Next Review: #1518 Van Halen--Best Of Volume 1