Since debuting in 1999, Canadian singer/songwriter Matthew Barber has built a sturdy reputation as a consummate source for literate rock, folk, and Americana. The Toronto native's career began in Hamilton, Ontario where his second independent album, 2002's Means & Ends drew the attention of indie Paper Bag Music who reissued it nationally the following year. Warner Music Canada was impressed with Barber's smart, tuneful folk-pop and signed him in 2004. His major label debut came in the form of an EP called The Story of Your Life which he released under the name Matthew Barber & the Union Dues. After relocating back home to Toronto, he followed up a year later with the full-length Sweet Nothing which yielded the hit "Soft One." Three years later, 2008's Ghost Notes saw Barber scaling back his sound with a more stripped-down acoustic approach. The Juno-nominated album also served as his debut for Outside Music, the label which was also home to his sister, acclaimed jazz singer/songwriter Jill Barber. 2010's True Believer had a more strident, band-oriented roots-rock feel to it. His self-titled 2011 release was a sort of return to his early roots. Self-produced and recorded on an analog 8-track machine, Barber played all of the instruments himself on the album that rekindled his penchant for 60's and 70's style rock. For 2014's Big Romance, he worked with Jayhawks frontman Gary Louris on a set that melded thoughtful stripped down pop with subtle alt-country flourishes. While Matthew and his sister Jill have combined forces on stage a number of times, 2016's The Family Album marks their first collaborative recording. ~ Timothy Monger

With her jazz-inspired songwriting and distinctive smoky voice, acclaimed Canadian singer Jill Barber creates the type of music that harks back to an earlier era. With her first album, 2002's A Note to Follow So, Barber demonstrated a range that included a mix of jazz, Americana, and folk-inspired pop, not unlike her older brother, roots pop songwriter Matthew Barber. Her fourth long-player, the Juno-nominated Chances (2008), marked a change of course that included original songs penned with alternative singer/songwriter Ron Sexsmith. She then topped the jazz chart with 2011's Mischievous Moon. Barber won her first Juno, for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year, for 2016's The Family Album, a collaboration with her brother. She continued to explore different styles on albums like the adult pop-patinaed Metaphora (2018) and the folk-leaning Homemaker (2023).

A native of Toronto, Barber initially began her career in Halifax, where she released her 2002 debut, A Note to Follow So. From the start, Barber's range included a mix of jazz, Americana, and folk-inspired pop. She continued to develop this mix over the course of her next two releases, 2004's Oh Heart EP and 2006's For All Time. A couple of years later, she relocated to Toronto, where she and producer Les Cooper began developing a new approach that relied heavily on the lush, orchestrated style of old jazz standards and torch songs.

Released in 2008, Chances was a departure from Barber's earlier style and proved to be a turning point in her career. The album, which featured a handful of songs co-written by Ron Sexsmith, was accompanied by two Juno Award nominations (including New Artist of the Year and Roots and Traditional Album of the Year, for For All Time) and introduced her music to a much wider, international audience. Her follow-up, 2011's Mischievous Moon, followed a similar path and spent 13 weeks atop Canada's jazz chart. For 2013's Chansons, Barber worked with producer Drew Jurecka on her first French-language set, featuring covers of songs by artists like Édith Piaf, Henri Salvador, and Serge Gainsbourg. That same year, her song "Chances" was featured in the first season of Netflix's original series Orange Is the New Black. Her sixth album, 2015's Fool's Gold, showed a continued evolution in her sound, with nods to Motown, soul, and classic country. Although they'd shared the stage together multiple times, 2016's collaborative set The Family Album marked Jill and brother Matthew's first album as a duo. It resulted in her first Juno win.

Two years later, Metaphora found her blending jazz and adult pop stylings. Her second French-language effort, Entre Nous, followed in 2020. Barber's 11th studio album, 2023's Homemaker, was a folk-minded one featuring a duet with Slow Leaves (aka Winnipeg singer/songwriter Grant Davidson). ~ Timothy Monger