by Hal Horowitz
It won't take long for even a fan of U.K. blues-jazz guitarist Matt Schofield to realize that this is his most focused, blues-oriented album to date. The opening track, "What I Wanna Hear," sets up an easygoing shuffle landing somewhere between Texas and Chicago as Schofield's laid-back yet emotional voice digs into the sparse, insistent groove, propelled by Jonny Henderson's organ. When the guitarist lets loose, it's a solo that's wired from the heart, plowing into the arrangement with a lean, mean tone that slithers and glides above the walking bass beat. It's a six-minute tour de force that fades out, leaving the listener wanting more. Fortunately there's plenty where that came from on the ten additional songs from Schofield's fourth release. His plaintive vocals and sizzling guitar have often, and correctly, been compared to Robben Ford, but on
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