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I don't know how many of you here like Americana/Indie folk in general or The Civil Wars, so I'll give a bit of background information. This was a duo composed of John Paul White and Joy Williams. Formed in 2008, broke up in 2014. They released 2 albums and won 4 Grammys during this time.
I used to listen to them a lot, around 4-5 years ago. It was a good journey, the anticipation for their second album, watching them during the tours, being excited when they won the Grammys. It was disheartening when they broke up, because of how good their music was when they used to perform together. There was a lot of speculation about the reason behind it. While some people say it was due to ambition and others say it was because they had a thing for each other, the official statement was "irreconcilable differences". They have solo careers now but in my opinion, it can't compare to earlier.
I still listen to their songs every now and then, but not as frequently as before. Sometimes I listen to Falling on repeat and the feeling that gives me is quite unlike any other song. Looking at the music videos of Poison and Wine and The One that got Away shows how much their dynamic with each other changed. At the end, there seemed to be a lot of bitterness, which was hard to watch.
Does anyone else also like The Civil Wars? In your opinion, what other bands/artists are similar to them? What do you think about their split and solo careers?
I absolutely adore those two albums. I don't really know or care much about why they broke up, but it is a damn shame.
Yes, I agree about the break up. They were getting better with time.
OH man... absolutely loved them as a band.
Their original work was great. Still is. Her voice is beautiful but on occasion the lilting, is that the right word?, would make me take a break. I still put their music on though.
Their covers were fun too! Billy Jean especially. (who did most of their arrangements?)
And yeah. I always assumed that they got a "little too close" and that messed up their marriages... so they split. But, that's entirely speculation and doesn't degrade from their music IMO.
Yes, I know what you're saying about her voice! This is why I was hesitant to listen to her album Venus.
I really like some of their covers! Billie Jean is a good one. You are my sunshine and dance me to the end of love are good too. Their version of Sour Times by Portishead is interesting.
A lot of people said the thing about them being too close. If that was the case, it would have been a problem, since Joy's husband travelled with them constantly. But no matter what happened and what didn't, they recorded some wonderful music while they were together. While I wish they could have stayed together for longer, I completely respect their decision.
Is "Venus" any good?
It's alright. Some songs are good, some are average.
I think it's very good, tight production.
I absolutely love that cover of Billie Jean. So good.
Oh man, I forgot about them. I really liked their first album when it came out, I'll have to listen to it again.
Maybe your thoughts about the album have changed in all these years!
I know Joy and John Paul, so perhaps I can shed a little light (I used to live and work in Muscle Shoals, AL for many years and John Paul and I became pals during that time).
They "played up" the "will they or won't they" aspect of their relationship as part of the act. Both are, and remain, in very happy marriages to two wonderful people. Their spouses were aware of the act. John Paul's sense of humor, especially, played in to this. They enjoyed the rumors surrounding their relationship and, as mentioned, played into it on purpose. So, their break-up didn't have anything to do with that.
Instead, and not to point fingers, it was kinda all Joy. John Paul was anxious to work on new material and capitalize on their Grammy wins and their newfound success. Both had long and storied careers as songwriters prior to their success as a duo (they met at a songwriter's retreat). John Paul had a number of near-misses as an artist. He recorded, for example, a stellar album for Capitol Records at Abbey Road Studios only to be dropped by the label before its release. His cover of ELO's "Can't Get It Out Of My Head", made a number of soundtracks and started to get his almost-fame rolling...only to fizzle out when he lost his record deal.
So, bottom line, he was anxious to finally get his well-deserved moment in the sun and continue their success. Joy had other ambitions and felt as though she was being held back as John Paul, quite frankly, was the better songwriter and his songs generally took precedent. She wanted to branch out to do some solo work...John Paul wanted them to get back to work as a duo. This led to some real-life bad blood and the relationship deteriorated.
I believe the original plan was to allow the rumors about their marriages breaking up to continue to swell and then, perhaps, regroup (which they still may as Joy's solo career hasn't really panned out as she seems to have planned). They are still only friendly terms but don't really communicate a lot.
John Paul has moved on and released a very critically acclaimed solo record, "Beaulah". He also owns his own record label, Single Lock Records, which features among other artists St. Paul & The Broken Bones and The Pollies - highly recommended that you check it out! John Paul still lives in the Muscle Shoals area and also owns a nightclub there, which is worth visiting if you're ever in the area!
Your comment certainly has a lot of information. I don't know how much of it to believe, so I'll take it with a grain of salt, just because this is the internet and we all know how anonymity works.
Now, moving onto what you said. I remember reading the part about Joy's ambitions and the difference in their ideologies at least a couple of times before, which is why I mentioned the word ambition in my post, without going into extensive details.
The romantic part of their relationship could easily have been acting. They're both performers. This theory about the split is mostly brought up by fans and other people who have watched them live/the music videos. Like I said, it is all mere speculation though.
Personally, I don't know them. I only know the things I have read in interviews or what I have observed, so I can't say what happened. However, in a fairly recent interview, John Paul White said that they don't even talk anymore (I hope I remember this correctly). Whatever the case may be, it is just sad how much the dynamic between them changed because to me, the important thing was how good their music was together.
I have heard Beulah and I liked it a lot more than Joy's album, which in my opinion was just fairly decent. Having said that, I still prefer The Civil Wars over John's solo work because Joy's contribution brought another element to the music, which I think is lacking now.
I would love to visit that area some day, but I live in another continent altogether, so the chances of doing that are slim.
Oh God - I heard "Home" on Soundcloud, then dated a girl who liked them, so Civil Wars quickly became my favourite band in 2013.
Since then I always shared their songs with friends, expecting them to be as blown away as me, and for some reason, nobody would get it. Except a couple months ago, my Mom heard one of their songs and loved it so much, she literally asked me to burn a Civil Wars CD...
It's such a simple, yet weirdly divisive duo - you either hear the magic or you don't.
I agree! I shared their songs with some of my friends who have a taste in music similar to mine and I was surprised that only one of them liked The Civil Wars.
I have no idea about Home. I think you're referring to My Father's Father. I really like that song. Which other songs by them are your favorites?
Edit: typo
I listened to them quite a lot when their albums were first released. It's interesting John Paul White went solo as well, as when they broke up Joy Williams was the only one giving interviews about it. She was adamant she'd be working with him again if he was open to it, and that the reason they weren't making any more albums was because she wanted the successful music career and he didn't. I knew she was looking at working with other people but didn't know he released a solo album as well. As I remember it, she said the last time they played together, there was still 'magic'.
I agree with the 'magic' remark, and I think that what The Civil Wars were able to create is a level of skill and creativity that is really hard to match. I feel that a lot of artists who make music in the Americana genre focus on sounding genuine, and as a side effect they don't tend to sound as polished and complex as The Civil Wars did.
Of what I've heard of their individual work since then, they seem to be missing something. Williams' work is a step further in sounding more mainstream and White's seems to have taken a step in the other direction in the genuine-less-than-polished kind of way. I love Williams' voice, but White's just really seemed to fill hers out and add an extra dimension that she just doesn't get on her own.
As for similar to The Civil Wars? I've been looking and I just don't think there are a lot of artists out there who consistently capture the magic in these albums. There -are- quite a few who sing in that genre or tone... when I feel like I'm in the mood to listen to 'The Civil Wars' but not JUST them I look up southern gothic playlists. But no one really quite matches up to them as an artist.