Barb's Freshman solo offering, The Fighter, is a quasi concept album that elevates and jerks you through the emotional highs and lows of falling in and out of love, struggling to remain creative in the face of turmoil and strained relationships, and maybe more than anything, battling (and eventually surrendering to and making peace with) the

Barb's Freshman solo offering, The Fighter, is a quasi concept album that elevates and jerks you through the emotional highs and lows of falling in and out of love, struggling to remain creative in the face of turmoil and strained relationships, and maybe more than anything, battling (and eventually surrendering to and making peace with) the shadows that lurk within all of us. While much of the album artwork depicts the physical conflict, this record is ultimately about accepting that the flip side to shining brightly is knowing the darkest dark, and that we must embrace the eternal balancing act that is required to keep ourselves from plunging into the depths or floating so high that we are no longer grounded and we lose our authenticity. The balance bar that appears repeatedly throughout the record is hope.

"We might lose all the hard stuff, but you'll always have this spot, right here in my heart, 'cause what you give is what you've got." -The Ground

"Hard times will come again, and violence strikes to the hearts of men, but what it is they fail to see, is we are one and you will always be in my heart." -Heart

"Life might give me lemons, well I'll squeeze them in my cup, add a little sugar and make lemonade but I'm never ever gonna give up." -Never Give Up

"But look right here, here's a little spark, there's always hope even in the darkest dark." -The Fighter

So the message here is this: Whatever you're going through, hang on to whatever little spark you can find, because on the other side of the darkness there is light. I promise.