Talented Antipodean individuals with an impressive coming together.
Occasionally, two voices meld together into an almost imperceptible whole, a unison demonstrating a natural chemistry. The combination of Matt Joe Gow and Kerryn Fields, the coming together of the South and North Islands of New Zealand, is a partnership that has blossomed in their native homeland on top of their already well-established individual reputations.
The last year of extensive touring together has resulted in their debut album ‘I Remember You’ and ably demonstrates the close harmony that the pair have established in that time. The album opener, ‘Your Heart of Gold’, with tempo and prominent fiddle, hints that the record is heading down the road signed ‘country’. ‘Whirlwind’ would seem to confirm this initial leap to judgement. If Gow takes the lead on this track, with Fields joining with distinctive harmonies, then it would be a mistake to assume that this sets the pattern for what is to follow. Fields is very much an equal partner here and, look no further than the next track ‘No Traces’ and her mesmerising vocal performance on a gorgeous atmospheric track for evidence of that.
While that early country feel comes to the fore again occasionally in tracks such as ‘Prairie Song’, as the album moves on the tempo generally cools, the musical arrangements become sparser and the vocals drip emotion. For the standout example look no further than ‘Carry On’ with its repetitive, mournful piano a pared-back accompaniment to Gow’s heartfelt vocal. Garnished with a sublime mandolin solo it is a perfect companion piece to ‘No Traces’ and, in the space of those two tracks alone, aptly highlights the quality of the two artists.
With multiple awards to their names and thousands of miles between them, Matt Joe Gow & Kerryn Fields have put in the hard miles, both as individual performers and now, as a potent musical partnership. The union of their songwriting has clearly enabled them to explore new depths in their music and the result is an album that will hopefully bring these antipodean artists to a new audience in this part of the world.
