Love & War (2009)

Love & War is the fifth and final studio album by the female Christian rock band BarlowGirl, released on September 8, 2009 by Fervent/Word/Curb Records. The album was produced by Otto Price.

Love & War is a better mature sounding album and a far improvement from their previous album How Can We Be Silent. It was preceded by the lead single "Beautiful Ending" with its intricate piano intro before the band jumps in with their instruments. It was BarlowGirl's final radio single to make the Top 30 on the Billboard Christian songs chart. A music video was made for the track. Their second single "Stay With Me" was released in early 2010 but never charted. On Love & War, the progression with regards to songwriting and instrumentation continues, as the girls have crafted a more musically-mature work that delves into some deep issues lyrically. One clear example of this is "Tears Fall," a moving piano piece about the devastation of abortion. Another is "Love is Marching," which is a beautiful take on the power of love, exploring how love, not might, is what will change the world.

Love & War debuted and peaked at number 4 on the Top Christian Albums and at number 85 on the Billboard 200 Albums charts. In 2010, BarlowGirl earned their final Dove Award nominations for Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year and Short Form Music Video of the Year for "Beautiful Ending." In all, BarlowGirl earned a total of 14 Dove Award nominations and no wins and were never nominated for any Grammy Awards in the Christian/Gospel categories.

NOTE: a music video was also made for their track "Sing Me a Love Song." BarlowGirl teamed up with Mercy Ministries in which the organization helps young teens and women with struggles with alcohol, eating disorders and self-harm as depicted in the video of a high school girl who was struggling with all of the above mentioned. BarlowGirl does not appear in the video, except for a scene in which the girl is listening to the song in the hospital bed where she is under going treatment, and on her music player, it briefly shows the Love & War album cover featuring the band as she turns up the volume. As she is in tears for her past sins, she turns to the Bible where she finds a photo of her and a friend and finds a text in 1 Peter 3:4 which says in the New International Version (NIV):

"Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

At the end of the video in which she is fully recovered, she goes into the girl's bathroom where she meets up with the other girls who were mocking her before and in the mirror she writes, in black marker, the words "unfaded beauty" and "1 Peter 3" and circles them as she walks away confident and as the other girls looked at what she wrote in wonder and confusion.

Track listing

All songs written by BarlowGirl.

1. Come Alive -3:17

2. Open Heavens -4:56

3. Beautiful Ending -4:19

4. Stay With Me -4:17

5. Our Worlds Collide -3:10

6. Love is Marching -4:10

7. Running Out of Time -2:40

8. Time For You to Go -3:21

9. Sing Me a Love Song -4:11

10. Tears Fall -3:54

11. Hello Sunshine -4:58

Personnel

BarlowGirl:

Alyssa Barlow -lead vocals (tracks 2, 4 -6, 9 and 10), vocals, bass guitar,

keyboards

Lauren Barlow -lead vocals (tracks 1, 3, 7, 8 and 11), vocals, drums

Rebecca Barlow -vocals, guitars

additional musicians:

Otto Price -instruments, synthesizers, programming, electric guitars

David Das -programming, string arrangements

Barry Graul -electric guitars

John Mark Painter -guitars, horns, woodwinds

Love Sponge String Quartet:

John Catchings -cello

Kristin Wilkinson -viola

David Angell -violin

David Davidson -violin

Fisk Jubilee Singers -choir on track 10

Paul Kwami -choir director

Kasey Porter, Kelsey Porter, Janell Sharp, Jon 'Nesha Stevens and Preston Wilson

Jr. -vocals

Radio singles

2009 "Beautiful Ending" -#28 Billboard Hot Christian Songs, -#28 Billboard

Christian Airplay

Previous release: Home for Christmas (2008)

Next release: Our Journey...So Far (2010) (compilation album)

Watch the music video of "Beautiful Ending" here:

Watch the music video of "Sing Me a Love Song" here: