Barber siblings tip the hat to family

They rarely perform together, yet it’s hard to think of better vocal harmonizers than siblings Jill and Matthew Barber.

Jill has a one-of-a-kind sensual, smoky voice that’s a throwback to vintage 50s and 60s jazz singers such as Peggy Lee and Doris Day. Matthew is more of a jazz-pop-folk troubadour known for soul-searching ballads and foot-stomping tunes.

Each has flexed their musical muscles in Canada’s entertainment industry and garnered multiple awards as well as a large and loyal fan following.

Although they perform as soloists and live across the country – Jill in Vancouver and Matthew in Toronto – as siblings they are constantly in touch.

For years they tossed around the idea of collaborating on an album. The timing was never right. Their burgeoning solo careers kept them apart – until now.

The Barbers have recorded a joint CD aptly titled The Family Album released on April 1 through Outside Music.

“We’re different people and we work hard to cultivate our careers. At the same time, we’re very close and we always thought we’d make an album together. It was inevitable, but there was no big rush,” said Matthew.

The 12-song set based on family themes contains several originals seamlessly supported with a selection of Canadian cover songs. Even in early talks the siblings shied away from the pressure of writing and recording strictly original material.

“Right from the start we wanted a balance of reinterpreted and original songs. Ultimately, we felt good about the songs we chose. Jill and I – we don’t over think. We trust our gut and if it feels good, we go with it. That was our main arbiter.”

Jill added, “We liked the idea of contextualizing a family album pulling material from an entire body of work that led us here.”

The album contains a tribute to Joseph Elliot, their mother’s father, a man they never met. Grandpa Jo is story song in the line of traditional folk ballads underlined with a military drumbeat.

Sweeter the Dawn is a love song Matthew wrote about the life journey with his wife while Jill’s Big Picture Window touches on settling down, buying the big house and having children.

The Barber siblings have also reworked Gene MacClellan’s Song to a Young Seagull, Ian Tyson’s Summer Wages, Leonard Cohen’s The Partisan and Neil Young’s Comes a Time.

“We didn’t consciously set out to do so many Canadian covers, but it shows what we like and we’re proud of our Canadian singers,” Matthew said.

The duo also salutes a couple of American singer-songwriters by including a reworking of Townes Van Zandt’s If I Needed You and Bobby Charles I Must Be In a Good Place Now.

It was Jill that initiated the venture two summers ago after widening experiences as a parent caused her to reflect back on family life growing up in Ontario. The vocalist is the mother of Joshua, 2, and Grace born on Jan. 1, 2016.

“For me it felt like the right time. I was nervous about bringing it up with Matthew, but he was on board right away. It was also an excuse to collaborate with one of my favourite singer-songwriters,” she said.

Raised by a scientist father and a teacher mother, Jill describes her childhood as “idyllic” – chock full of varied opportunities and experiences.

“In a way the album is a tribute to our parents. They raised kids, that like each other, have reverence for family.”

Last year the entire Barber family, parents included, spent a week in California. While the grandparents babysat, Jill and Matthew spent the week hashing out material.

Lately Toronto has enjoyed a renaissance of great studios and the Barbers hired engineer Chris Stringer, owner of Union Sound.

The seven-day June 2015 recording session was peopled with impressive players namely Julian Brown (Feist), Dean Stone (Apostle of Hustle), Joey Wright (Sarah Harmer), Drew Jurecka (Stevie Wonder) and Robbie Grunwald (Doug Paisley).

“I was pretty lucky. Nobody knew I was pregnant. But when everyone cracked a drink at the end of the day, I was drinking water,” laughed Jill.

The Barber family, baby included, will spend the next year touring the album across Canada in geographic chunks. Their first tour takes place across the western provinces with a stop at St. Albert’s Arden Theatre on April 15 and 16.