Matt Schofield

Matt Schofield - Anything But Time - 2009 - Nugene Records

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" might sound like faint praise for a musician, but in U.K. guitarist Matt Schofield's case, it's a compliment. Also, some things have changed since his last studio release two years ago. He recorded this one in New Orleans with veteran producer John Porter and brought in ex-Robert Cray drummer Kevin Hayes. Still, his alternately breezy/stinging blues flecked with a swinging jazz groove stays the same. Big Easy mainstay Jon Cleary -- who also made the trek from the U.K. to New Orleans, where he now resides -- contributes to a few tracks, but otherwise it's business as usual with Schofield tearing into fluid, biting guitar lines and wrapping far-better-than-average originals around his emotional yet boyish voice. He brings the ballad side of Jimi Hendrix -- think "Little Wing," "Angel," and "May This be Love" -- to his own "Dreaming of You," and writes a terrific slow burner in the seven-minute "Where Do I Have to Stand." He's a compelling guitarist, as is shown in the gradual intensity he brings to the two leads in that song which build to a fiery climax, but it's his imaginatively arranged, sharply written songs and distinctive vocals that put him so far ahead of the pack of fellow contemporary singing guitar slingers. Albert King's "Wrapped Up in Love" gets a wonderfully funky workout, helped immensely by Hayes' backbeat, and Steve Winwood's "At Times We Do Forget," an obscure track salvaged from Winwood's under-the-radar 2008 release Nine Lives, is Schofield's first stab at covering a relatively current tune. Deep-fried New Orleans funk seeps into "One Look (And I'm Hooked)," which finds the singer/guitarist digging into a rare baritone vocal to push the song into dark, swampy territory. It's given extra heft by longtime cohort Johnny Henderson's organ, and keyboard-bass work that is so much a part of Schofield's sound. Porter adds spacious and crisp audio that jumps out of the speakers, making even musty shuffles such as "Don't Know What I'd Do" connect with a freshness and snappy energy rarely captured in the studio. Only the stereotypical slow blues of "See Me Through," a perfectly fine "Stormy Monday"-influenced grinder, seems to be added just to establish Schofield as an old-school-influenced bluesman, something he can pull off perfectly well, but which doesn't utilize the songwriting strengths that make the rest of this superb album so rewarding. © Hal Horowitz © 2012 Rovi Corp | All Rights Reserved

You can't go wrong with any of Matt Schofield's albums. Good songwriter, vocalist and superb guitarist. "Anything But Time" is Grade A jazz blues with a New Orleans flavour. Buy Matt's "Heads, Tails & Aces" album and check this blog for related releases [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 119 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Anything but Time 3:38
2 See Me Through 6:51
3 At Times We Do Forget 5:41
4 Shipwrecked 5:02
5 Dreaming of You 4:52
6 Wrapped Up in Love 3:43
7 Where Do I Have to Stand 7:00
8 One Look (And I'm Hooked) 4:17
9 Don't Know What I'd Do 4:11
10 Share Our Smile Again 4:37

All songs composed by Matt Schofield & Dorothy Whittick except "At Times We Do Forget" by Steve Winwood, Peter Godwin, & Jose Neto and "Wrapped Up in Love" by Albert King

MUSICIANS

Matt Schofield - Guitar, Vocals
John Porter - Additional Acoustic Guitar, Percussion on Track 3
Jonny Henderson - Hammond B3, Bass Keys, Wurlitzer Electric Piano
Jon Cleary - Piano on Tracks 2,9: Wurlitzer, Clavinet on Track 8
Kevin Hayes - Drums, Percussion

SHORT BIO

The leader of the Matt Schofield trio (obviously) and a well traveled and talented blues guitarist, Matt Schofield was born in Manchester, England on August 21, 1977. Spurred into the world of the blues guitar by legends such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, and Albert Collins, Schofield took his curiosity to London after graduating college, and started to jam with various musicians in the scene. Catching the ear of one Dana Gillespie -- after a successful stint as part of the Lee Sankey Group -- Schofield won a spot in that blues diva's London based band. From there, Schofield eschewed the quick road to fame, instead choosing to work as part of the house band at festivals all over Europe. Eventually, through this rather unglamorous gig, the trio that would bear his name eventually came together, and Schofield became a bona fide solo presence. His first album, a live affair entitled The Trio, Live, was released in 2004, and was a critical success. The unique vibe that Matt and his trio captured was due in part of their use of organ for bass lines rather than a bass guitar -- somewhat of a rarity in the more traditional electric blues rulebook. Comprised of Schofield, keyboardist Jonny Henderson and drummer Evan Jenkins, the trio went on to record a studio record, Siftin' Thru' the Ashes after releasing the second live collection Live At the Jazz Cafe -- both in 2005. In 2007, Schofield returned to the shelves with studio album number two, Ear To the Ground. © Chris True © 2012 Rovi Corp | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/matt-schofield-mn0000387505

MORE

Born in Manchester UK in 1977, Matt was immersed in the blues from a young age thanks to his Dad’s record collection. A professional guitarist from age 18 Schofield left it relatively late to start his own recording career, choosing first to learn his trade as a sideman, initially with bandleader and harp player Lee Sankey. He then spent four years with British Blues Diva and David Bowie prodigy Dana Gillespie, touring the UK, Europe and as far a field as India. Seven years into life as a pro, he formed his own band - a trio - with Hammond organist, Jonny Henderson and drummer, Evan Jenkins (now with BBC Jazz Award winner, Neil Cowley). The trio was unconventional in having no bass player, bass duties being handled on the Hammond organ, a format favoured over the years by American bluesmen such as Albert King and Jimmie Vaughan. The result was The Trio, Live, an eight-track taster of things to come. For what was a low budget, off-the-cuff and all-covers recording it elicited high praise along with airplay on both sides of the Atlantic and a BBC Radio 2 live session. With his two subsequent releases (05’s Siftin' Thru Ashes and 07’s Ear To The Ground) Schofield consolidated his sound, delivering a powerful mix of Blues and New Orleans funk unlike anything else on the block. It was hard to pigeon-hole a band that could mine a deep blues trench one minute, effortlessly pull off a Meters anthem the next and then just as successfully revitalise the sixties Box Tops song, The Letter. Fast forward to May, 2009 and Schofield’s third studio recording Heads, Tails & Aces. This time Schofield has a bass player and an album with a greater focus on blues. Gone are the interspersed instrumental funk tracks that characterised previous albums and led some commentators to label Schofield as much jazz, as blues. In their place is an entirely song-based album, with nine of the eleven tracks written or co-written by Schofield. The breadth of material on this album is impressive, spanning everything from the smouldering Malaco-like soul groove of War We Wage, to the eccentric back-beat driven Betting Man and the Jazz-tinged Nothing Left, the latter lulling the listener into relaxed mood before climaxing in a tension-drenched extended outro. Schofield's seamless playing has always embodied the great stylistic moments of American blues guitar, but the two cover versions on this latest album - interpretations of Freddie King's Woman Across The River and Elmore James' Stranger Blues - make any comparisons irrelevant. Underpinned by Jonny Henderson's constantly empathetic keyboards, Schofield stamps his own style on proceedings, slamming into solos that burn with an intensity rarely heard these days and even more rarely in combination with such a technically fluid and melodic approach. Matt has produced three highly acclaimed albums for Ian Siegal, 2005’s Meat & Potatoes, 2007’s Swagger and his November 2009 release, Broadside, which is MOJO magazine’s Blues Album of 09. © http://www.mattschofield.com/bio