imply put: BarlowGirl grew up. On the latest release from Fervent Record’s sister-rock trio, BarlowGirl is back with grown-up lyrics and increased musical skill. The seamless, chordantly harmonic vocals of the group continue to impress, as well as the dynamic drumbeats, driving guitar melodies, creative bass lines, powerful piano and poignant lyrics.

As the fifth studio release from this Illinois band, “Love & War” adds another edition to the ever-improving anthology of BarlowGirl albums. With 11 new original tracks, BarlowGirl has again proved their songwriting ingenuity and ability. Additionally, each track showcases its own original sound and melody. BarlowGirl does not suffer from similar-song syndrome, and that is a wonderful thing.

“Beautiful Ending,” the lead single from “Love & War,” is a beautiful, piano-driven ballad. The trio repeatedly expresses that the third track on their albums holds special significance to them. “Beautiful Ending” is track three on this album. The song was written in observance of and in response to seeing people fall away from God during their lifetime. Through this beautiful ballad, the band expresses that they want their life to end in God’s arms and not separate from him.

True to the album title, the CD does deal with issues of love and war. Some songs, such as “Sing Me a Love Song” and “Love Is Marching” showcase the love aspect of a relationship with God. Alternatively, others like “Running Out of Time” and “Come Alive” emphasize that “this is war, so pick your side.”

The band BarlowGirl doesn’t back down from being bold. The most recent example is when the band took part in the March for Life in Washington, D.C. As a result of that powerful experience, the trio wrote the song “Tears Fall” about the Father’s heartbreak over abortion. It’s very probable that tears will fall when you listen to this song and hear lyrics like the following: “May our tears fall down/Let them soften this ground/May our hearts be found/God forgive us now.”

Based on the use of the same word – march – one can only wonder if the song “Love Is Marching” is also a direct result of the trio’s March for Life encounter.

For more information on BarlowGirl and to purchase music or merchandise, visit http://www.barlowgirl.com. You can also purchase their music at http://musichristian.com/sys/product.php?PRODUCT=577711.