First Songs

First Songs, initially credited to "Gwyn and Will",^[2] is the debut album of British singer-songwriter Gwyneth Herbert and composer and acoustic guitarist Will Rutter.^[3] Comprising both original songs and standards, it was launched at London's Pizza Express Jazz Club in September 2003.^[4] The Herbert/Rutter song "Sweet Insomnia" featured guest vocals from Jamie Cullum.^[3]

First Songs
Studio album by Gwyneth Herbert and Will Rutter
Released	27 October 2003[1]
Studio	Cowshed Recording Studio, London
Genre	Jazz
Length	53 minutes
Label	Dean Street Records (CD: DNSTCD2002); Universal Music Classics & Jazz (CD/LP: 9866620)
Producer	Ian Shaw
Gwyneth Herbert and Will Rutter chronology
First Songs (2003) Bittersweet and Blue (2004)

Reception

Described by BBC Music as a "lovingly crafted debut",^[5] the album received a significant amount of radio airplay on Jazz FM and BBC Radio 2, and was promoted by Michael Parkinson.^[3][6]

Writing in The Sunday Times, reviewer Clive Davis said: "If Gwyneth Herbert is not a star before long, I will eat my CD player. The sultry young singer’s partnership with guitarist Will Rutter has caused a stir on London's club circuit, and their debut album — artfully produced and arranged by vocalist Ian Shaw — lives up to that promise, blending pop and jazz values".^[2]

Track listing

No	Title	Lyrics and music	Length
1	"Little Red Rooster"	Willie Dixon	2:41
2	"Maybe Me"	Gwyneth Herbert and Will Rutter	3:10
3	"Beguiling Eyes"	Stephen Fearing	4:13
4	"My Thief"	Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello	4:06
5	"I Was Doin' Alright"	George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin	2:59
6	"It's Getting Better"	Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil	3:38
7	"Sweet Insomnia"	Gwyneth Herbert and Will Rutter	3:39
8	"Calling You"	Bob Telson	5:04
9	"No Other Love"	Gwyneth Herbert and Will Rutter	3:38
10	"Trains & Boats & Planes"	Burt Bacharach and Hal David	3:55
11	"Don't Worry About Me"	Ted Koehler and Rube Bloom	3:58
12	"There'll Be Some Changes Made"	Benton Overstreet and Billy Higgins	3:09
13	"The Ballad of the Sad Young Men"	Frances Landesman	5:02
14	"Beguiling Eyes" (FM Mix)	Stephen Fearing	4:24	Total length = 53 minutes

Personnel

• Gwyneth Herbert – vocals
• Will Rutter – guitar
• Mark Hodgson – bass
• Tom Mason – bass
• Andy Nice – cello
• Josefina Cupido – drums and percussion
• Ben Godfrey – trumpet
• Guy Barker – trumpet
• Jamie Cullum – vocals
• Ian Shaw – keyboards and percussion^[7]

Production

The album was produced by Ian Shaw, who arranged all the songs (except "No Other Love", which was arranged by Will Rutter).^[7] It was recorded by Joe Leach at the Cowshed Recording Studio, London between June and September 2003.^[7]