Matt Schofield
Anything But Time
Nugene Records
This fourth record
from Matt Schofield
continues the British
bluesman’s trend
of upping the ante
with each move he
seems to make. That’s not an easy task when
you consider that he and his last album,
Heads,
Tails & Aces, won the 2010 British Blues
Awards for both Guitarist of the Year and
Album of the Year.
Anything But Time, which
was helmed by veteran blues producer John
Porter (B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush)
suggests that Schofield is looking to repeat the
feat while winning even more fans and accolades
as he supports the album with a US tour
this summer.
On the majority of these 10 tracks, which
are mostly co-written originals, Schofield uses
just a touch less grit than most blues players
rely on these days. Paired with his Texas blues-leaning
chops that emphasize meaty, sustained
notes and vibrato over the shrednastics
between them, the result is a modern blues
guitar vocabulary that can still plumb some
of the more vulnerable depths you might
normally associate with the likes of B.B. King
or Robert Cray. Schofield fronts a tight trio
with drummer Kevin Hayes and keyboard
player Jonny Henderson, whose dripping B-3
parts and funky Wurlitzer rhythms stay tightly
fused with his left hand as it holds down the
group’s low-end. Standout tracks include the
Booker T-esque “Anything But Time,” jump
number “Don’t Know What I’d Do,” a tremendous
nod to Hendrix called “Dreaming
of You,” and slow churner “Where Do I Have
to Stand.” Schofield also puts his own mark
on Albert King’s “Wrapped Up in Love,” and
Steve Winwood’s “At Times We Do Forget,”
driving each with vocals that are as strong as
his guitar playing.
Like some of the famous British bluesmen
before him, Schofield’s approach to his
craft is anchored by a remarkable respect for
the blues, but complemented by a brilliant
sense of what the genre has to offer, which
is particularly appealing to guitar players.
No longer just a guitarist to keep an eye out
for, Schofield has arrived, and
Anything But Time cements his status as an important contemporary
bluesman.