Formed in 2008, the Civil Wars have the kind of music that you can put on repeat for hours without regret. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Joy Williams and John Paul White have the type of voices that overlap in perfect harmony; it’s like they were made for each other. In their 2011 album ‘Barton Hollow’, “Falling” is a duet that captures their soft, mysterious voices that go hand in hand with the instrumentals in the background. These vocalists are most well known for their slow songs but “Barton Hollow” brings a whole new dynamic to their voices. The folky, raspiness of the duet with the guitar gives listeners’ goosebumps and a desire to sing along. “Forget Me Not” brings along the soothing feel of the violin while keeping the syrupy voices of Williams and White. It’s one of those feel-good cry songs.

In their second album The Civil Wars, they bring out more instrumentals and more of a rock feel. It seems they take a break of the slow songs in this album and pack more hardcore folk songs. “I Had Me a Girl”, has runs in it that make you wish you could sing as well as Williams. Personal favorite “From This Valley”, has a light-hearted feel to it that reminds me of happy coffee house music. “Tell Mama” consists mainly of Williams’ voice and she captures listeners with her quiet passion as well as her exceptional voice control. Overall, this is my favorite Civil Wars album because of the variety.

However don’t get your hopes up about more of their songs. The dynamic duo broke up in August of 2014 on rocky terms and it doesn’t seem like they will make a comeback. Other writers have speculated that “The One that Got Away” from The Civil Wars’ album illustrates how they got too attached to each other. Williams’ wedding ring may have also contributed to the sticky situation as their music manager was her husband. Otherwise the situation has been kept on the down low. Williams has said to sources that it’s possible the two could get back together in the future but she’s not positive.

In the meantime of getting over the loss of their outstanding music I found some other artists that share the folksy rasp of the band. The Head and the Heart and Mumford & Sons are somewhat similar and are both amazing on stage. Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors are also really fun to listen to and have a similar feel to The Civil Wars. The Civil Wars are more so a duo than a band which is why I love their music. I would place them in their own genre because they’re so diverse in their music. If you’re interested in slow songs with crazy good runs or upbeat folk music then The Civil Wars is the band for you.