Artists
Gwyneth Herbert Quartet
Herbert, 25, now lives in East London, was born in Surrey, and tours constantly from Halifax and Birmingham to New York and Istanbul. She started singing at an early age, and used her time at Durham University - whilst supposedly studying English Literature - to pursue her passion for music, sitting in with local bands and forming a duo with guitarist Will Rutter. The pair played through termtime in venues across the North of England, and spent their summers funding trips to Paris, Amsterdam and Edinburgh through busking and gig-hustling. Herbert and Rutter moved to London together and continued to perform, and a chance meeting led to an introduction to renowned vocalist and producer Ian Shaw, and a deal with the tiny jazz indy label Dean Street Records. Now known as Gwyn and Will, they recorded their debut ‘First Songs’ in 2003 with Shaw at the helm, and when their version of Canadian singer-songwriter Stephen Fearing’s ‘Most Beguiling Eyes’ became a surprise radio hit, Universal came knocking.
Only 22 and still finding her feet as an artist, Herbert was swept up in the moment, and while the resulting album ‘Bittersweet and Blue’ was critically acclaimed, included three originals and provided her with an opportunity to explore an eclectic repertoire from Cole Porter to Portishead and Neil Young to Neil Finn, it didn’t really feel like her own record. Indeed, Herbert realised that she was no longer the artist Universal had signed: “they signed me predominantly as an interpreter and marketed me as a jazz singer; I’d been writing non-stop since Bittersweet and Blue, nurturing my own sound, and finding that I wanted to tell my own stories.” A parting of the ways was inevitable, and ‘Between Me and the Wardrobe’ is the opening salvo from a singer who has found her own voice. A snapshot of an artist continuing to develop and find her own sound. And one who has found the right home to grow in.
***** "With her bewitching voice, the jazz-folk star was never just your standard covers singer. And here is the proof" - Observer Music Monthly Observer Music Monthly
"Her lyrics are consistently engaging... singing with a rare balance of passion and control... (Between Me an the Wardrobe is) one of this year's word-of-mouth hits, with Herbert poised as one of Britain's brightest young talents." - The Telegraph
"Given the freedom to write the record that she wanted, Herbert has delivered a set of very personal songs on which she often sounds closer to Sandy Denny than, say, Sarah Vaughan. Each has a singular mood and texture, from the bittersweet balladry of Midnight Oil to the euphoria of The Morning After… her exquisite voice has found a happier home." - The Times
"The songs are compacted narrative jewels... The music is oak-like, rich and weathered... full of unexpected and highly rewarding details. Recommended." - BBC Jazz Review
