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A GREEN MAN: “If you enjoy creative independent folk music at all, you owe it to yourself to check out The Grief We Gave Our Mother.”
AMERICAN SONGWRITER: “The Grief We Gave Our Mother, carries self-defining moments of the past that will give listeners a tinge of déjà vu. Each track is beautifully relatable and, occasionally, heartbreakingly familiar.”
AMERICAN SONGWRITER: “Matthew Fowler still plays the same Yamaha FX-335 acoustic guitar his parents gave him at the age of 14. Which is not so remarkable, when you take into account that that was only five years ago. At 19 years old, Fowler shows the same mastery of earnest, strummy songcraft as established artists like Damien Rice and Ben Howard.”
AMERICANA HIGHWAYS: Interview for “The Grief We Gave Our Mother”
ASSOCIATED PRESS: “The bright promise of singer-songwriter Matthew Fowler’s label debut lies in its acoustic elegance. His new album, “The Grief We Gave Our Mother,” combines clean, crisp guitar playing with Fowler’s warm, wistful tenor and tight background harmonies to deliver well-crafted songs that change speeds and create moods with the sure-footedness of a more seasoned artist.”
AUDIOTREE SESSION: "Matthew Fowler is a young singer songwriter who prefers slow food and coffee to go with his laid-back, intimate tunes. He has proven that a strong command of language breaks through the barrier of age."
BLUEGRASS SITUATION: Live Video Premiere of "Leaving Home/Open road" - recorded in the green room of the Mercury Lounge in New York City
BLUEGRASS SITUATION: Interview and Playlist feature
THE CELLARY: "Fowler’s beautiful stories of love, tragedy, and an ache for home will reward a careful listen"
CULTURE COLLIDE: “I’m Still Trying” music video premiere
THE DAILY FREE PRESS: Concert review from Club Passim in Boston, MA
DAYTROTTER: "Blankets" Selected as one of the top 250 songs of 2014
DIFFUSER: Voted as one of the 5 "Must See Acts" for CMJ Music Marathon in New York City
EAR TO THE GROUND: “This is music for the love of music, and that’s the best kind.”
ENJOY THE MUSIC: “This is mellow singer/songwriter work, with understated depth.”
ENTERTAINMENT FOCUS: “The Grief We Gave Our Mother is a passionate, emotive, and deeply involving record. It’s one of those you need to live with for a while and keep going back to, as it demands you unravel its lyrical layers. Deeply personal and at times stunningly beautiful, the record is one that should see Fowler gain a wider platform. There are few artists making this kind of stripped-back, raw music anymore so Fowler is an artist that should be embraced and appreciated.”
ENTERTAINMENT FOCUS: Interview segment covering The Grief We Gave Our Mother
FAR OUT MAGAZINE: "I'm Still Trying" included in the best new music roundup
FOLK RADIO: “Throughout the album, Fowler’s intensely laid-back, mellow, sometimes raucous, vocals are especially striking whenever they are joined by Tana and Adeline Prado’s brilliant voices.”
HOLLER: Featured as “Artist Of The Week”
HUFFINGTON POST: Song premiere of "Beginners"
THE LUNA COLLECTIVE: Interview and essay on The Grief We Gave Our Mother
MIDWEST ACTION: “When he stomped to bring emphasis to his music, it felt more like an emotional imperative rather than a percussive decision–such was Fowler’s performance in summary. It was a beautifully expressive emotional imperative”
MTV: Song Placement on "Catfish: The TV Show"
MUSIC TIMES: Recorded interview and in-studio performance
OFF THE RECORD: “The resulting record is at once bold and timid, hopeful and anxious, world-weary and naïve, but above all an honest, revelatory collection about putting one foot in front of the other and forging a life of purpose, passion, and meaning. It’s a project brimming with authenticity.”
ORLANDO MAGAZINE: Included in the list of Orlando's twenty best musical acts.
ORLANDO WEEKLY: “The song still carries Fowler's gentle soul but on new, resolute wings of melodic precision like Ryan Adams at his sharpest. With a newfound crispness in tune and execution, this well-honed track is probably Fowler's most incisive moment on record yet.”
ORLANDO WEEKLY: “The big feature inside were Matthew Fowler & the Prado Sisters, who suddenly filled the house. More than just a pleasant background vocal foil to Fowler, the sisters – Tana and Adeline – provide him with added instrumentation and presence.”
ORLANDO WEEKLY: Picked as the magazine’s “Band Of The Week”.
PASTE MAGAZINE: Studio performance during Americanafest in Nashville, TN
POP MATTERS: “The Florida singer-songwriter sits comfortably amongst the likes of Ray LaMontagne and Damien Rice with his smoky vocals and keen ability to strike an emotional chord.”
POP MATTERS: "Cut from the same cloth as songwriters like Ben Howard, the Florida singer/songwriter Matthew Fowler is a talent that has been a long time coming"
RELIX MAGAZINE: Live "In-Office" Session.
SEAN ROWE (ANTI): "really good, a lot of talent. He’s a young kid but he’s got a super amount of talent. Just a solo guy and he’s got some skills. Great guitar, great voice and really good songs."
SLOWCOUSTIC: "Despite only indicating this as a ‘song’ of the day – spend time with the entire album because I feel like I could have picked almost any one of these songs to feature!"
SPILL MAGAZINE: “he has a uniquely pleasing voice, somewhat akin to that of Ray LaMontagne, that gives his songs that touch that make certain they work. Maybe Fowler and his kin really gave grief to their mother at some point, but this album certainly won’t.”
STEP INSIDE THIS HOUSE: “Possessing a sound that feels most akin to Damien Rice, Ray LaMontagne and David Ramirez, Fowler has an innate ability to draw the listener in regardless of the song.”
UNDER THE RADER: “His long-awaited sophomore record comes seven years after his 2014 self-released debut, Beginning. In the intervening years, his songcraft has only gotten more fervent and earnest, with his latest effort laying bare long-held confessions and stirring meditations amidst the gentle swell of his honeyed vocals.”
WAMC NORTHEAST PUBLIC RADIO: "Fowler recorded the album over a period of years in his family’s Orlando kitchen, capturing his striking voice and cozy songwriting that to my ears recalls everyone from Dylan and Paul Simon to Glen Hansard."
WBEZ CHICAGO PUBLIC RADIO: "Matthew Fowler is making quite a name for himself as he crisscrosses the country in support of his homemade album Beginning. Armed with only his voice and an acoustic guitar, Fowler is winning over audiences and critics with his singing and his songwriting."
WHYY-TV: Television segment for "Articulate with Jim Cotter"