Album review: MATT SCHOFIELD – Far As I Can See

Provogue [Release date 17.02.14]

‘Far As I Can See’ could be the breakthrough album for Matt Schofield, a major Brit blues talent who has teetered on the brink of success for some time. This is an album that neatly balances Matt’s compositional input with his exquisite guitar playing and some sparkling band interplay.

Matt opens with a confident tone and some mellifluous phrasing on the impressive ‘Far Away’ which sets the standard for a mature album. There’s a hint of Ten After’s Joe Gooch with a nasal vocal, an uplifting hook, some bubbly guitar work and a melodic sweep, on a track that heads for the fade far too soon. This song would have been worthy of a bonus track radio edit.

‘Clean Break’ goes back to the organ-led trio format, as Jonny Henderson fills the track with some enveloping B3, while Matt adds strong rhythmic support before a resonant, clean toned, stinging solo with a decent vocal on a lovely jammed out end-piece.

The band strikes a delicate tension between the essential song structures and spontaneous ensemble playing on 11 tracks that flow from beginning to end. ‘Getaway’ for example, smoulders with intent, but struggles to stir the soul until it eventually ignites with a weaving solo resolution. It’s an exercise in disciplined playing and is something you might find on a Warren Haynes record.

The Memphis soul of the Jackson/Mathews penned ‘Breaking Up Somebody’s Home’ (misspelt here on track listings) feels like an attempt to redress the balance of the preceding track, with the addition of a horn arrangement and Matt’s fine solo, while ‘The Day You Left’ is a slow blues on which his guitar dynamics take centre stage. It’s a brave track at the core of an uncompromising album, which suggests that if this is an inexorable push to the next level, Matt is doing so on his own terms. He leans into the song with feel and restraint on an intuitive arrangement.

Both ‘Oakville Shuffle’ and the jazzy ‘Everything’ will undoubtedly fit into his live set effortlessly and Aaron Neville’s ‘Yellow Moon’ is an inspired choice that brings variation and a lilting groove to an organic sounding album.

There’s an interesting contrast between the funky, snappy horns and Albert Collins feel of ‘Hindsight’ – well suited to Matt’s flighty style – and the Texas influenced rocking of ‘Tell Me Some Lies’, on which he lets his guitar do his talking for him.

And just when you think he’s balanced everything out on a jazzy, funk influenced blues album, he throws in an unexpected curve ball, with a closing psychedelic tinged blues called ‘Red Dragon’.

Johnny Henderson conjures up echoes of Iron Butterfly’s Doug Ingle and Matt digs deep for a soulful vocal on a Hendrix influenced outing. It’s an expansive jammed out finish wholly in keeping with a band that you feel could stretch out at any moment on a poised album. ****

Review by Pete Feenstra

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

Next session: Sunday 19 January

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 1 December 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 3 December 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)