It’s always been their intentions to cut an album together.
After all, most musical siblings say that.
But life, or their own solo careers, got in the way.
Two years ago, Jill Barber told her big brother Matthew the time was ripe: They needed to pen some tunes and get into the studio.
Inspired by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ collaborative album Raising Sand, the siblings set out to compose family-oriented songs — Jill from her home in Vancouver and Matthew from his Toronto abode. They also went back and forth while on holiday in California and, eventually, wound up with five new folk songs (two by Matthew and three by Jill) for their aptly titled The Family Album.
As well, they threw in six covers — “to take the pressure off,” Matthew said — for their duet CD, a folk collection that blends their sweet voices.
They picked mostly Canadiana to fill out to their album: Gene MacClellan’s Song To a Young Seagull; Summer Wages by Ian Tyson; The Partisan, which was popularized in English by Leonard Cohen; Neil Young’s Comes A Time; If I Needed You by Townes Van Zandt; and Bobby Charles’ I Must Be In A Good Place Now.
The Barbers produced the CD themselves but brought in Grammy Award-winner Michael Piersante to mix the work, which debuted in April.
To promote their new recording, the pair have been zig zagging the country and, this month, will stop in Coquitlam.
Of course, they’ll have their family in tow.
Their mother has been recruited to take care of Jill’s two children, the youngest being nine months old. On the road with mom and the kids has taken on a different tour vibe. “It’s fun for mom,” Matthew laughed. “She likes the adventure of it.”
However, after this leg of the tour ends in late November, Matthew said he and Jill will go back to writing for their next solo albums. “It was the understanding that this was to be a special project, a one-off,” he said of The Family Album.
Still, he is grateful for the opportunity to have spent more time with his little sister. “Nothing flusters her,” he said of Jill. “She’s very professional and very calm. For me, I can feel the stress more but she has the attitude that everything will take care of itself. It’s something I really admire.”
Tickets for Matthew and Jill Barber’s concert on Oct. 23 at the Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam) are available by calling the box office at 604-927-6555 or visiting evergreenculturalcentre.ca.
@jwarrenTC
