Yes guitarist Steve Howe has announced that he will release a new solo album, Guitarscape, through his own Howesound label on September 27.
Howe is joined on the album by son Dylan on drums, while Howe himself handles acoustic, electric, steel and bass guitars along with keyboards as well as writing all the material and producing. In keeping with the album title, the album represents a guitar masterclass from Howe.
"This album has given me the opportunity to do something different,” says Howe. "I bought a Novatron Summit keyboard and found that it had a wealth of inspiring sounds. It gave me a golden opportunity to create my own keyboard structures – chordal movements and structures that I thought were a bit different. I think differently on a keyboard, I don’t see the chords looking the same but then I had fun playing around with the guitar to see where that goes.
"I’ve utilised most of the colours, as I like to I think of my styles, and I’m always pleased when I hear them running through and it moves from a steel, maybe, to a Spanish guitar. Because it’s a different sort of album, I’m not using terribly conventional chord sequences but things that give me a fresh feeling and opportunities to improvise and stretch out as well as be melodic and make this a nice tuneful experience.
“I began feeding the tracks to Dylan. We get on great and he seems to know what to play around my guitar, it’s almost instinctive. Dylan and I fit together really beautifully. We’ve had the chance to do this together, so it’s wonderful.
“The bass parts and the keyboards are pretty interesting, everything had to be interesting but also work together. I like doing things that are super fresh and this album says what I am today."
You can see the new artwork and trackisting for Guitarscape below.
Steve Howe: Guitarscape tracklist
1. Hail Storm
2. Spring Board
3. Distillations
4. Up Stream
5. Secret Mission
6. Passing Thoughts
7. Touch The Surface
8. Spring Rhyme
9. Equinox
10. Seesaw
11. Gone West
12. Suma
13. Spring Tide
14. Steel Breeze
