Rock’n’roll true believer Ashley Naylor and country chanteuse Sherry Rich were an unlikely pairing, but the stylistic clash of the Grapes yielded surprising results on the duo’s 1999 self titled debut.

Lovelorn vocals blend seamlessly with pure pop arrangements and sterling fretwork on songs influenced by classic 60’s and 70’s garage, psychedelia, folk and country rock.

The two acclaimed songwriters write, play and produce all tracks themselves. Inventive, accessible, and with a sweetness that is not without its shadows, ‘The Grapes’ is a collaboration of two respected artists that avoids gratuitousness and indulgence, instead providing a byway for both parties to delve deeper into their craft.

Rich adds girl-group sassiness and pack-a-day heartache to tunes with balanced, well-honed dynamics and a brittle rattle backbeat. Naylor is able to wind back from the rock-salute riffing of his band Even to let the subtlety of his guitar playing and voice shine through.

The timbre of both Rich and Naylor’s voices and the musical backing, providing a bridge to a dusty Yarra Valley vineyard where the facts of life, love and death are star, entwining the past with the present, coarsening the weave; if a mellow night of drink and the resultant unpicking of the long thread of memory are the central motif, then both Rich and Naylor strike the required tone of intimacy with precision.