''How Can We Be Silent'' is the third studio album from
contemporary Christian
Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...
band
BarlowGirl
BarlowGirl was an American Christian rock and CCM all-female band from Elgin, Illinois. The band was composed of sisters Alyssa (lead vocals, bass guitar, keyboards), Lauren (co-lead vocals, drums) and Rebecca (guitar, backing vocals) Barlow. ...
. It was released on July 24, 2007, in five different editions, including three retailer-exclusive editions that each added a unique acoustic bonus track.
Similarly to ''Another Journal Entry'', this album was released in a
special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, or collector's edition, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints, r ...
variant known as ''How Can We Be Silent Premium Edition''. It was released concurrently with the regular edition, adding a new cover sleeve and bundling a 45-minute DVD. Video content includes personal interviews, stories behind the songs on the album and two previously released music videos, "
I Need You to Love Me
"I Need You to Love Me" is a song by Christian rock band BarlowGirl, from their 2005 album ''Another Journal Entry''. It was released as a radio single on January 27, 2006. The song was the most played song of 2006 on the R&R Christian Contempora ...
On May 20, 2007, Warner Music Group launched a promotional site, ''Have You Heard The Word?'', to promote this album and other upcoming releases.
Two music videos were announced, but cancelled, during the ''How Can We Be Silent'' era. The first was announced on May 24, 2007, on the ''How Can We Be Silent All Access Pass'' site intended for
Family Christian Stores
Family Christian (formerly called Zondervan Book Store, Family Book Stores, and Family Christian Stores) headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan is a Christian themed web retailer. However, no such premiere occurred and the music video release was ultimately cancelled. The second music video, "Sweet Revenge", was recorded in 2009 by 1834 Productions as part of a Deep Forgiveness devotional. A promotional video features a very short clip of Alyssa Barlow in the music video. However, the song cannot be heard, as the audio uses a promotional narrator. This music video is lost, as it was omitted from Deep Forgiveness.
Critical reception
''How Can We Be Silent'' received generally positive reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from ''
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
'' was less impressed, giving the album 2½ out of 5 stars for its "gothic textures" and its "noisy, cluttered multi-segmented songs." Similarly, David Sessions from ''Patrol Magazine'' gave the album a 4.7 out of 10 rating, calling it "an unvaried ruckus sustained for 50 minutes". The album's sound was likened to that of
Evanescence
Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer and musician Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording independent EPs as a duo in the late 90's, and a demo CD, Evanescence released their debut s ...
.
Track listing
*
Alyssa Barlow
BarlowGirl was an American Christian rock and CCM all-female band from Elgin, Illinois. The band was composed of sisters Alyssa (lead vocals, bass guitar, keyboards), Lauren (co-lead vocals, drums) and Rebecca (guitar, backing vocals) Barlow. ...
and
Lauren Barlow
BarlowGirl was an American Christian rock and CCM all-female band from Elgin, Illinois. The band was composed of sisters Alyssa (lead vocals, bass guitar, keyboards), Lauren (co-lead vocals, drums) and Rebecca (guitar, backing vocals) Barlow. ...
share lead vocals in the band. The main lead singer of each song is noted below:
Personnel
Credits for ''How Can We Be Silent'' adapted from liner notes.
Musicians
* Alyssa Barlow, Lauren Barlow, Rebecca Barlow – vocals
* Alyssa Barlow – bass and keyboards
* Lauren Barlow – drums
* Rebecca Barlow – guitars
* Sabrina Barlow – background vocals ("Million Voices")
* Rob Hawkins – acoustic and electric guitars
* John Painter – horns and woodwinds
* New Song Ensemble – choir ("Million Voices")
Musicians (New Song Ensemble)
* Julie Carter – soprano
* Janine Jones – soprano
* Liz George – soprano
* Amy Miller – soprano
* Sarah Tweet – alto
* Marisha Wagner – alto
* Cindy Wagner – alto
* Adam Bastien – tenor
* Brian Robison – tenor
* Todd Fertig – tenor
* Kyle Cooper – tenor
* Matthew Seckman – tenor
* Dustin Whitney – tenor
Musicians (Lovesponge Quartet)
* David Davidson, David Angell – violin
* Kristin Wilkinson – viola
* John Catchings – cello
* Trish Price – melotron ("One More Round")
* Otto Price – programming, guitars, jazz drums, accordion, synthesizer and miscellanea
Production
* Otto Price – executive producer, producer, programming, additional programming, A&R direction, engineer, vocal arrangements
* Susan Riley – executive producer, A&R direction
* Cindy Wagner – director, New Song Ensemble
* George Cocchini – tone control
* David Das – programming, string arrangements
* Tony High – engineer
* Bryan Lenox – engineer, mixer
* Katherine Petillo – creative director
* Jeremy Cowart – photography
* Sarah Barlow – additional photography
* Megan Thompson – make-up
* Neil Robinson – hairstylist
* Joseph Cassell – wardrobe
* Alexis Goodman – design
Charts
''How Can We Be Silent'' debuted at No. 40 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 chart, and No. 1 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
s Top Christian Albums chart, and sold about 25,000 copies in its first two weeks.
Singles from this album performed poorly on radio compared to other BarlowGirl albums. The first, "Here's My Life", was released in June 2007. It peaked at No. 12 on R&R's Christian contemporary hit radio charts and at No. 29 on Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart. "Million Voices" and "I Believe In Love" were released later that year, with no chart history available.
Awards
In 2008, the album was nominated for a
Dove Award
A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards are presented annually. Formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee, the Dove Awards ...
for Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year at the
39th GMA Dove Awards
The 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation was held on April 23, 2008 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2007. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee.
Nominations were announced on February 14, ...