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Photo credit to Warner Records Nashville

A consistent and formidable duo in the world of contemporary country music, Sam Barber and Avery Anna’s musical chemistry once again proves to be of tremendous quality on their latest duet, “Fear In God.” 

The two struck lightning in a bottle with both “Restless Mind” and “Indigo,” the former the title track of Barber’s 2024 debut album and the latter a now ubiquitous adult contemporary smash hit with over 350 million streams and a Kelly Clarkson cover, as the pair trade verses of harrowing perspectives. Barber is unreachable on these tunes, as he drags himself six feet under poetically and physically. On “Fear In God,” the midtempo folk-blues instrumental arrangement favors him once again from the onset, but it is Anna who steps up to the plate.

From a listener’s view, Anna is typically seen as the underdog of the pairing, as keeping up with Barber’s runaway blues vocal approach is not for the faint of heart, though it’s evident that her understated skillset is abundant. In this instance, as both share personal anecdotes of individual temptation, Anna does, in fact, overtake Barber, both in her solo verse as the instrumentation gradually builds around her, as well as in the final chorus as she shifts from a harmony below Barber’s base to one well above him. 

Her revelations appear to trigger her emotional framework, while Barber remains incredibly subdued. She opens her solo verse with the drawling omission, “I was shy and sixteen when I thought I’d die/ I was broken and robbed of the light inside,” in opposition to his more referential, “I barely made it three steps through the corridor/ And I decide I couldn’t take it anymore.” 

They’ll come to find they will have to fight their demons to reach a higher power. This does not sit well with Anna, who snarls her way through the final chorus as if challenging the Devil himself to continue blocking her path. This is possible due to her ‘fear in God,’ which represents stability and strength rather than trepidation: “Face to face, on the fence/ Bow my head, there’s a voice that says…/ ‘Hurry up son, it’s getting late and the devil thaws at the end of the day/ He’s gonna tempt you/ You’re gonna shake/ Get on your knees when you don’t wanna pray.’” The subsequent guitar solo, meant to close out this climactic moment of the track, almost acts as a repellent of the evil standing in front of them.