Of all the Civil Wars' songs, I think that tonight's feature comes closest to the Christian contemporary genre that Joy Williams had started out in. Like songs from her solo career (to mention some examples, "Hide" or "Every Moment"), "From this Valley" is just so invigorating and uplifting. It makes you want to sing along. It also has some strong folk influence from her singing bandmate John Paul White, and Phil Madeira also had a hand in the song. Honestly, I'm not sure exactly who contributed what to the song, but it reminded me personally of Joy's early work.
Much of the song is describing different cases of desire. An outcast wanting acceptance, a desert wanting a nearby river, and like an orphan wanting its mother, the singer wants to be held in God's grace. The catch refrains are about praying to go from the valley to the mountaintop, where she'd be closer to God. In the last verse, like air beneath a bird's wings or a melody supporting a voice, she prays that Jesus carries her.
Yeah, this is easily the most "Christian contemporary" that a Civil Wars song has ever gotten. I'm sorry to those who feel uncomfortable with songs so much about faith. I don't listen to many acts in this genre, but I dabble. I'm a spiritual person with a respect for other faiths, and think that people from many different faiths may be able to relate to the wanting of closeness to the divine. I think that I'll let this ember cool a little, before writing about other super spiritual songs, but be warned that I can even find a mystical connection to some seemingly secular recordings.
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