It’s nothing out of the ordinary for a Nashville act to have a reality show competition under their belt. Nor is it at all uncommon for performers to be drawn to a model they’ve seen work for somebody else. Elenowen received coaching from Blake Shelton on the first season of
The Voice, and their new bio Mentions The Civil Wars just a few sentences in. Sure, both duos earnestly blend their voices and build their melodic swells to the expansive scale of the Coldplay age. But Elenowen — aka Josh and Nicole Johnson — really do have a different feel. Part of it is that they’re married, and they approach singing and writing with such unified sensibilities that their new self-titled EP feels like the vision of one person. Lady Antebellum is another point of comparison; Elenowen’s “Blood and Bones” moves like one of the trio’s epic pop ballads. But the lilting “Head to My Heart” — which goes beyond capturing a feeling to articulate a profound sense of internal disconnect — is the Johnsons’ best piece of writing in this batch.
— Jewly Hight