Consistently solid writing and performing from Canadian troubadour.
It’s inevitable that a musician’s previous life, before they enter this new creative world, will impinge on their songwriting and general ethos. But Toronto-based Barber feels that this simply isn’t the case. The fact that he was, in his previous life, a kind of intellectual is fascinating. He earned an M.A. in philosophy from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, with a thesis on the Wittgenstein-McDowell model of therapeutic philosophy, which holds that the point of philosophy is to get you to stop thinking about the intractable problems in life that no one ever solves.
But Barber is emphatic that there’s no link between his philosophical interests and his music. “I guess I spend a lot of time in my head; that makes me suited to both music and philosophy. In terms of process, they’re both very different”.
Music was an important part of Barber’s life from an early age. He bought his first guitar aged 15 and became self-taught in playing it. He started writing songs as a teenager and an important part of this early development was his close relationship with his sister, Jill, also a talented and very respected musician.
His first album came out in 2002 and he was subsequently signed to Warner Brothers. With the onset of digital music he realised he wasn’t best suited to the slight limitations of being part of a big music company – so the last six albums he’s released have been on the small indie label, Outside Music.
His output has been exemplary, mixing a wide range of styles, but at its heart, a true Americana spirit prevails. His tunes are especially memorable.
His first two albums had modest success, but he really hit his stride in 2005 with “Sweet Nothing”. He plays with his band The Union Dues, and his sister Jill is there for support, and it’s a glorious mixture of soft ballads and foot-stomping rockers – ‘Like Lightning’ is a particular highlight.
Barber followed this three years later with “Ghost Notes”, another really strong collection with his band and included an impressive thirteen guest musicians, including the glorious Sarah Harmer. This album perfectly showcased his ear for melody and songwriting prowess and the sequencing of this album is near perfect. The album was nominated for a Juno Award as best “Roots and Traditional Album”. This quality is ably demonstrated by ‘One Little Piece Of My Love‘.
In 2010, he released “True Believer” and he provided the vocals, guitar, piano and percussion and producer Howie Beck added drums and bass, together with another group of esteemed guest musicians. It’s another collection of superb tunes and he mixes songs from the heart with a few social commentary tracks. ‘I Think You’re Gonna Feel My Love‘ is a particular personal favourite.
He’s released five further well-received albums – one a soundtrack to a play he was involved with, and another album recorded with his sister Jill, that’s beautiful. In 2017, Barber decamped to a tiny studio apartment in the Paris neighbourhood of Montmartre, where he and his wife spent a month on the album, “Phase Of The Moon”. It’s a gorgeous album with a quieter, hushed feel and ‘Take Good Care‘ is a standout.
In recent times, Barber has been busy as a producer and has worked with Clever Hopes, Ian Lake, Sarah Segal-Lazar, Kristina Dervaitis, Will Greenblatt, Andrew Spice and Noah Reid (fresh from his success on Schitt’s Creek).
His latest release was a EP a few years ago, “No Singing Or Dancing” that continued his quality output. Barber is one of Canada’s best singer songwriters and his catalogue is a rich, treasure trove of wonderful, classy music that’s itching to be discovered for those willing to investigate further.
I was lucky enough to pick up on Sweet Nothing back in 2005 and have enjoyed Matthew’s output ever since (although the EP No Singing … slipped thro’ my radar!). Great that you have tried to bring him to the attention of a wider audience Paul – he, like so many others, deserves it.
Thanks Alan – he’s so underrated. A back catalogue to really savour.