Today, GuitarWorld.com presents the exclusive premiere of Far As I Can See, the new album by guitarist-singer-songwriter Matt Schofield.
The album, which will be released February 18, is his debut release through Provouge Records.
Schofield's career has been gaining momentum for the last several years on both sides of the Atlantic. Successful runs in the U.K., Europe and North America have been met with much acclaim and bigger and bigger audiences.
The new album is Schofield's fifth, and it offers two covers from his heroes plus nine original tracks. Fans will anticipate the epic slow blues of "The Day You Left," as the guitarist re-harmonizes a traditional 12-bar form. The recording on the album is the first take he played in the studio — totally live.
"Clean Break" is a classic trio shuffle; "Getaway" shows Schofield is eager to continue finding new ways to play the blues, integrating odd time signatures into the genre.
"You don't find this approach much in the genre, new or old," he says. "To make it work, the unusual time, in this case 7/8, has to be especially groovy, with just the right feel. The end result makes for uniquely tense solo sections where the lines played on guitar have to weave around the time."
Other tracks include "Tell Me Some Lies," his nod to Jimmie Vaughan, and "Red Dragon," a tribute to Jimi Hendrix's approach to the blues — one take, all live, late at night, with the band following his every move.
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Schofield pays his respects to Albert King with "Breaking Up Somebody's Home." Regarding the album's other cover song, "Yellow Moon," Schofield says, "It's funky New Orleans blues, originally done by the Neville Brothers and produced by Daniel Lanois, who we’re a big fan of."
For more about Schofield, visit mattschofield.com and his Facebook page. You can check out his current tour dates below the album stream.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
