Barton Hollow (2011)

The Civil Wars, Joy Williams and John Paul White, built their sound on dramatic friction between two voices. Williams's agile, emotive soprano pushes and pulls against White's dark Southern baritone on Poison & Wine and the stormy title track, so the harmonies crackle with longing and suspicion. The duo split after one more album, which makes this debut the place to hear that tension at its warmest.