Review: Steve Howe – Guitarscape

HoweSound (September 27^th, 2024)

Reviewer: David Pearce

Steve Howe can justifiably be called a legend of music, even in an age where the term is thrown about like confetti. Most famous for his work with Yes, he also worked with Asia and Anderson Bruford Wakeman and Howe and his distinctive guitar has featured on tracks by Queen and Frankie Goes to Hollywood and many others. In a career spanning 60 years he has never stopped looking ahead, and his new album, ‘Guitarscape‘ utilises not only his guitar work, but also his keyboard playing. Joined by son Dylan Howe on drums his 78^th year sees him breaking yet more new ground.

‘Hail Storm’ opens the album with a 80s style synth which then retreats to the background as Howe makes his way through a number of musical styles from prog stylings to heavier rock work in a high tempo track that would test the dexterity of a guitarist half his age. ‘Spring Board’ is a mellow and languorous track that takes you away with its subtlety to simpler times. ‘Distillations’ is a gorgeous Spanish style track that benefits from the clever drumming of his son, Dylan, which lifts it from a pastiche, which it might have been in less skilled hands, into a track that adds to the genre rather than takes from it. ‘Up Stream’ is a mysterious soundscape that would have been at home in any of his classic albums and shows the style that so many artists sought to emulate. ‘Secret Mission’ starts off with a Soft Cell style synth that gives way to a Dire Straits style solo that has an intense quality to it that bubbles under the surface. It once again showcases an excellence that does not fade with the passing of time. ‘Passing Thoughts’ has echoes of his work on Innuendo by Queen but benefits from far more restraint in a way that combines beautifully with ‘Secret Mission’ for my favourite pair of tracks on the album.

‘Touch the Surface’ relies on the keyboard and drums to give the guitar a firm platform on which to do its work. Steve Howe uses this platform well with a tune that could easily have come from the psychedelic era of Pink Floyd. ‘Spring Rhyme’ and ‘Equinox’ are another matched pair as the titles may indicate. They have a feel of growth and life in their different ways and the latter in particular just oozes quality and sensitivity. Once again, the pairing of these two tracks creates an internal structure to elements of the album that help to create a coherent whole. ‘Seesaw’ as the name suggests has a gentle to and fro quality to the tune that is similar to the type of incidental music that you heard behind Tony Hart’s artwork back in the 70s and 80s. It’s a track that took me back to far simpler days and is another big favourite of mine. ‘Gone West’ is an interesting track that has the type of guitar solo often heard on the soundtrack of espionage shows and movies. ‘Suma’ has more of an oriental feel to it that gives it a point of difference from its predecessors on the album. Penultimate track ‘Spring Tide’ takes us back to his days with Yes via a virtuoso solo that really demonstrates his range and his ability to craft a tune from the guitar in a way that few others can. The album finishes with ‘Steel Breeze’ where the strings are played with a grace and aplomb that few have ever matched. It’s a fitting close to an excellent album.

This album will require and reward repeated listening. Let it seep into your mind and every time you listen you will discover new layers and new depths. There’s no doubt about it, if the question is whether Steve Howe is still one of the best guitarists around, the answer is a resounding Yes!

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