Matthew Stevens Releases Self-Titled Album via Candid Records

Today, GRAMMY Award-winning guitarist and producer Matthew Stevens released his new fourth studio album, Matthew Stevens. Co-produced by saxophonist Josh Johnson (Flea, Meshell Ndegeocello) and percussionist Eric Doob (Julian Lage, Chris Thile), the self-titled LP seamlessly melds acoustic and electric sonics through a mix of genre-blurring originals and deeply personal covers.

Matthew Stevens is out now on Candid Records – LISTEN HERE

Also out today is the new lyric video for “Alberta” ft. Anna B Savage and Josh Johnson. A longing and spiritual take on the traditional standard, featuring Steven’s acoustic guitar, Josh Johnson’s alto saxophone, and Anna B Savage’s singular vocals. WATCH HERE

Matthew Stevens first encountered “Alberta” while producing I Am a Pilgrim: Doc Watson at 100. “Jeff Parker and I recorded a version for that project, and I’ve continued to revisit it in different settings ever since,” shares Stevens. “Like so many great songs, it keeps revealing deeper layers over time. When I started thinking about revisiting ‘Alberta’ for this record, it suddenly felt obvious to ask Anna to sing it. Josh’s playing adds this otherworldly quality, and the way Anna delivers the song makes me imagine a young person 150 years ago, singing it quietly to themselves, far from home, from what they know, from who they love, and in a way that somehow feels timeless.”

“As a huge, huge fan of Matt’s, I was thrilled to be asked to contribute vocals to his newest record,” adds English singer-songwriter Anna B Savage. “I’d never heard of ‘Alberta’ before, so instead of scaring myself listening to the infinite versions by The Greats, I decided to just feel my way through. I recorded the vocals to track with my eyes shut tight, imagining Matt in the room with me - a conversation between his guitar and my voice. Honestly, I find the song quite devastating. Unmet desire, the want to get to know someone perpetually out of reach, watching someone go through their own impenetrable stuff. The lyrics are a lot for me, and I think this languorous and melancholic take is just perfectly pitched. I’m honoured to have played a part in this gorgeous song and the record as a whole.”

A culmination of 20 years of craft, the new eponymous album serves as a mid-career mission statement by one of the most thoughtful guitarists playing and writing at the peak of his powers. It features a multigenerational cast of musicians who have had a profound impact on Stevens’ journey, including rising visionaries like vibraphonist Joel Ross and vocalists Anna B Savage and Corey King, in addition to his mentor Terri Lyne Carrington and personal guitar hero Jeff Parker. At the album’s core is a band of his most trusted collaborators, which also includes keyboardist Chris Fishman and bassist Kyle Miles, with additional contributions from percussionist Paulo Stagnaro and guitarists Dylan Day and Rich Hinman on slide and pedal steel.

Matthew Stevens also reflects those transformative years between young adulthood and early middle age, when triumphs and challenges alike can trigger intense self-reflection. There had been, Stevens explains, some “huge life changes” leading up to the sessions. While facing more uncertainty than he’d ever experienced, Stevens wrote the woozy original “Hazy,” which he claims, “was the bellwether for the language of the record.”

Indicative of Stevens’ passion for both jazz and Americana, “Born of Silence” relies on a simple, beautiful melody that cycles into your memory, elevated by dialogue within the band that is empathic and intuitive. Other standout tracks include the rhythmic tune “Take Heart,” ft. vibraphonist Joel Ross, and the soulful Sharrock cover “Who Does She Hope To Be?” ft. eclectic jazz guitarist Jeff Parker and esteemed drummer Terri Lyne Carrington.

“Music is energy, which can be healing and can change the world positively,” shares Carrington. “‘Who Does She Hope To Be?’ soothes the soul and reminds us of the importance of hope. It was a thrill to play with these two guitar titans. So grateful to Matthew Stevens for making this exciting collaboration come to fruition!”