A voice and a guitar: Paired just right, they can cut through a moment and leave an imprint that lasts a lifetime. As music fans, we live for those rare songs that introduce themselves and become bookmarks in our history. With his debut, Beginning, Orlando, Florida’s Matthew Fowler has created an entire album worthy of inclusion in that sacred space.
Fowler is nineteen. These are three words that you will probably repeat incredulously to yourself as you make your way through Beginning. His voice and songs convey an understanding of the human experience that extends well beyond his years, and yet they so perfectly capture the weight and significance of what it means to be young.
Calling on a work ethic derived by helping out at his parents’ restaurant and catering businesses from the time he was thirteen, Fowler used borrowed microphones and recorded this debut almost entirely live; a feat rarely seen these days. When this restless determination is coupled with his immeasurable talent, it’s difficult to foresee any limitations to what Matthew Fowler’s accomplishments might come to include. For now though, it is enough to have Beginning — the first offering toward what promises to be a long and meaningful body of work.
