The All Access Pass bonus disc featured the same logo used on Another Journal Entry.
How Can We Be Silent is the third studio album from contemporary Christian band BarlowGirl. 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 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 and "Never Alone".
Marketing
Alyssa Barlow sings in this unreleased music video.
On May 20, 2007, Warner Music Group launched a promotional site, Have You Heard The Word?, to promote this album and other upcoming releases.[1]
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 customers, without announcing the song for the music video.[2] Additionally, the back of the All Access Pass mentions "the world premiere of the new BarlowGirl video and more!"[3] However, no such premiere occurred and the music video release was ultimately cancelled. The second music video, believed to be "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.[4] This music video is lost, as it was omitted from the Deep Forgiveness DVD.
How Can We Be Silent received generally positive reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic 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.
Track listing
Alyssa Barlow and Lauren Barlow share lead vocals in the band. The main lead singer of each song is noted below:
All tracks are written by BarlowGirl
Album release
No.
Title
Lead vocals
Length
1.
"Song for the Broken"
Alyssa
3:58
2.
"I Believe in Love"
Alyssa
5:19
3.
"Here's My Life"
Alyssa
5:51
4.
"Keep Quiet"
Lauren
4:57
5.
"Million Voices"
Lauren
4:08
6.
"Sweet Revenge"
Alyssa
3:58
7.
"One More Round"
Lauren
3:39
8.
"Take My Chances"
Lauren
3:20
9.
"The Guy Song"
Lauren
3:05
10.
"I Don't Regret"
Alyssa
3:52
Total length:
42:02
Walmart edition bonus track[12][13] (The album, bonus track and video were download-only; all are discontinued, as Walmart ended direct sales.[14])
No.
Title
Lead vocals
Length
11.
"Song for the Broken (Acoustic Version)"
Alyssa
LifeWay edition bonus track[12][15] (The Double Double Play!reissue bundle includes this album, ending the Lifeway exclusivity.[16])
No.
Title
Lead vocals
Length
11.
"Take My Chances (Acoustic Version)"
Lauren
3:10
iTunes edition bonus track[17][18] (Originally exclusive to iTunes album purchases, the track is now available individually.)
No.
Title
Lead vocals
Length
11.
"I Don't Regret (Acoustic Version)"
Alyssa
3:47
BarlowGirl How Can We Be Silent All Access Pass (bonus disc)
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Always Waiting"
2:42
2.
"Only Jesus"
3:14
3.
"Amazed"
4:52
4.
"Trying To Be The Sun"
4:20
5.
"A Lot In Common"
4:02
6.
"Only You"
3:20
7.
"Jamie's Song"
4:19
8.
"Who Is This King?"
4:40
9.
"A Thousand Hallelujahs"
4:19
10.
"What If"
2:28
Total length:
38:16
Personnel
Credits for How Can We Be Silent adapted from liner notes.[19]
How Can We Be Silent debuted at No. 40 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, and No. 1 on the Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart, and sold about 25,000 copies in its first two weeks.[20]
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 for Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year at the 39th GMA Dove Awards. The song "Million Voices" was also nominated for Rock Recorded Song of the Year.[21]
