Nir Felder "III" 12"

The guitarist has worked with seemingly everyone — from John Mayer and Dave Chappelle to Brad Mehldau and the New York City Opera. He’s appeared on a hundred records, and he’s an important mentor to the next generation of up and coming guitarists.

Against the backdrop of his extensive discography, Felder’s latest album III offers a unique listening experience: the chance to hear his own sound come to the fore. His music. His songwriting vision.

“This is an opportunity to hear what’s going on in my brain when I’m just playing for myself,” shares Felder. “It’s not just a guitar record, this is a songwriting record.”

III drives home Felder’s ability to conjure up moods as a writer, to craft a unified listening journey out of his expansive musical palette. From the riff-powered surge of “Cold Heaven,” to the graceful close of “Era’s End,” to the adrenaline-spiking drum breakdown on “Dream,” we get to hear the many sides of what he can do as a composer.

“More and more, I’m reinvesting in the things that drew me to music in the first place,” he says, “the things that lit up the receptors in my brain and made me stare wide eyed into the mystery of it all.

“For me, my own music brings me back to that place — the joy, the fun, the experimentation, the playfulness.”

Fellow guitarists will still drool over his brilliance on the instrument, which is constantly on display in ways large and small. Felder is a master of texture, of using the guitar not as one voice but many (“Sea of Miracles,” “Revival”). And yes, he can rock the hell out, especially on the aforementioned “Cold Heaven.”

Put it all together, and III is the centerstage performance we crave from Felder after following the many stops along his artistic path. He’ll no doubt be off to two (or three) more projects soon, but we plan to stay awhile and enjoy the view.