..:: audio-music dot info ::..


Main Page      The Desert Island      Copyright Notice
 Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz


Sterling Koch: Let It Slide

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Full Force Music
Released: 2013.03.26
Time:
 47:58
Category: Slide Blues, Blues Rock
Producer(s): Sterling Koch, Mary Koch, Bret Alexander
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.sterlingkoch.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2014
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Shape I'm In [Part 1] (S.Koch) - 1:00
[2] Shape I'm In [Part 2] (M.Benno/D.Bramhall) - 3:50
[3] Wrong Side Of The Blues (S.Koch) - 3:28
[4] Mercury Blues (K.C.Douglas) - 3:55
[5] Blow My Mind (F.Grant/S.Koch) - 3:47
[6] It Hurts Me Too (E.James/M.Sehorn) - 4:18
[7] Too Sorry (D.Bramhall) - 3:42
[8] I Don't Know Why (S.Koch) - 3:17
[9] Lonely Avenue (S.Koch) - 3:25
[10] My Baby's Hot (R.Vito) - 4:59
[11] I Wanna Be Your Driver (S.Koch) - 3:07
[12] I Only Want To Be With You (S.Koch) - 5:36
[13] Working Man's Blues (F.Grant/S.Koch) - 3:31

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Sterling Koch - Lap Steel Guitar, Guitars, Vocals, Producer
Gene Babula - Bass, Vocals
John Goba - Drums

Larry Adam - Keyboard on [12]
Jennifer Dierwechter - Backing Vocals on [13]

Bret Alexander - Mixing, Producer
Mary Koch - Producer
Niki Derlfler - Photography

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


Sterling Koch returns with a new album "Let It Slide," the follow up to his very successful 2011 release "Slide Ruler." "Let It Slide" includes 13 songs, 8 originals and 5 covers, of varying blues and blues/rock styles. The cover songs include songs by Elmore James, Doyle Bramhall (I and II) and Rick Vito (Fleetwood Mac) as well as the single "Mercury Blues" by K.C. Douglas. "Let It Slide" features Gene Babula on bass and John Goba on drums taking over for Tommy Shannon (Double Trouble) and Chet McCracken (Doobie Brothers) from the "Slide Ruler" album.
Sterling only began to play the lap steel in 2004 as the result of a neck injury, a herniated disk. He had previously played the conventional 6 string guitar for 35 years. Sterling specializes in playing slide guitar blues on the lap steel guitar and is widely acclaimed as one of the foremost propnents of the lap steel guitar. He has previously released 4 solo CDs of steel guitar blues music, "Slide Ruler," "Steel Guitar Blues, "Steelin' Home" and "How I Spent My Summer Vacation."



Sterling Koch always brings a unique and personalized sound to the blues with his lap steel guitar. His new album, Let It Slide, is a testament to the slide-master’s musical talent and will leave anyone unfamiliar with his music pleasantly impressed. Sterling Koch specializes in contemporary Chicago-style blues, and Let It Slide is his fifth recorded studio album of steel guitar music.

The album opens with the two-track segment “The Shape I’m In,” slowly eases us in with an acoustic sound, followed in Part 2 by a heavier blues rock backed by Sterling Koch’s band mates on Let It Slide: bassist Gene Babola and drummer John Goba. Tracks like “Wrong Side of the Blues” and “Mercury Blues” attest to Sterling Koch’s working within the blues rock tradition with his wailing slide and deep soulful voice. “Blow My Mind” has a harder rock vibe, and Sterling Koch’s powerful voice plays a major role here in conveying his sense of really “feeling the blues,” as he bemoans of relationship troubles with a difficult lover: “they say I’m just wasting my time, but I keep you around ‘cause I love the way you blow my mind.” “Hurts Me Too” is another excellent track, starting out with some of Sterling Koch’s high-pitched wailing on the steel guitar, followed by heavy riffs and passionately bluesy lyrics.

The tables are turned in “I’m Too Sorry For You,” when the singer expresses his sorrow for someone he’s about to leave. “Lonely Avenue” is an instrumental track that allows Sterling Koch to flaunt his skill. His passionate vocals and sliding alike are ablaze in the fiery piece “My Baby’s Hot,” another heavy rock-driven track. “I Wanna Be Your Driver” seems like a return to a simpler time. “I Only Want To Be With You” is a sweet melody laden with the singer’s deep vocals and a classic blues bass line courtesy of Babola. The album’s closing track, “Working Man’s Blues,” is a powerful machine proceeding methodically and structured like the grueling work week that inspires Koch in this song in, until “Friday evening comes” and he’s “got to scream and shout.”

Overall, Sterling Koch’s fifth recorded album of steel guitar music is a tremendous success. In the past, the artist has worked with such figures as blues bassist Tommy Shannon (Stevie Ray Vaughan) and Grammy nominated drummer Chet McCracken of the Doobie Brothers. Sterling Koch credits Calvin Cooke as his mentor when he first began working with the lap steel guitar, and has since risen among the ranks of great artists working with the instrument. Let It Slide is living proof of Sterling Koch’s talent as a contemporary steel guitarist working with the blues genre.

The Review: 8/10

Eileen Quaranto - May 6th, 2013
Copyright © Blues Rock Review



If you are a guitar aficionado and are looking for something a little different, then Let It Slide by Sterling Koch (pronounced Cook) may be an album for you. Koch was a traditional six-string guitarist for the first three decades of his career, but a severe neck injury led him to the pedal steel guitar in 2004. The six-string’s loss was the pedal steel’s gain as he has emerged as one of the leading proponents and practitioners of the instrument. He has now returned with his fifth album.

Koch keeps the music simple. Bassist Gene Babula and drummer John Goba provide the foundation for his music. Koch adds keyboards to one track and backing vocals on another but that’s about it. It keeps the focus on his slide guitar skills, which are some of the best in the business. The pedal steel has a unique and distinct sound and he is able to mine that sound with a clarity and vibrancy.
 
While there are a few covers, he wrote or co-wrote eight of the 13 tracks. “Wrong Side of the Blues” has a complete band feel as his guitar sound floats over the rhythm section. “Working Man Blues,” “Blow My Mind,” “Lonely Avenue,” “I Only Want to Be with You,” and “I Don’t Know Why” are all Chicago-type blues with a contemporary flavor. The tempos are varied and his playing precise.

The best of the cover songs is the Elmore James blues tune “It Hurts Me Too,” a fine vehicle not only for his guitar but also his vocals. It is also interesting to hear a pedal steel’s approach to Doyle Bramhall’s “Too Sorry.”
Sterling Koch has issued a creative album of music based on his expertise with the pedal steel guitar. Let It Slide is a unique approach as it travels a different instrumental path and is worth a listen.

David Bowling - May 1, 2013
Blogcritics Magazine



"Let It Slide" ... der Albumtitel ist hier Programm. Sterling Koch (sprich: Cook) kommt aus Pottsville (Pennsylvania) und hat inklusive vorliegender Platte bereits dreiundzwanzig Tonträger veröffentlicht. Es begann 1982 mit "Don't Need You Anymore", einer in Eigenproduktion erschienenen 7". Die B-Seite enthält ein Cover des Beatles-Songs "Tomorrow Never Knows". Neben LPs wurden auch Kassetten auf den Markt gebracht. Die Vorgänger von "Let It Slide" waren "Victory In Heaven Blues" (2009), "Steel Guitar Blues" (2010) und "Slide Ruler"aus dem Jahr 2011. Letztgenanntes Album wurde zusammen mit Double Trouble-Bassist Tommy Shannon (Stevie Ray Vaughan) sowie Schlagzeuger Chet McCracken (Doobie Brothers) eingespielt. Sterling Koch ist eine echte Entdeckung, auch wenn man hier nicht mit großen Namen der Blues-Szene aufwarten kann. Tieftonzupfer Gene Babula und Drummer John Goba erweisen sich als eine tolle Rhythmusabteilung. Der Lap Steel-Gitarrist hat Konzerte von Blackfoot, Rick Derringer oder Savoy Brown eröffnet und hatte auch schon Kontakt mit Robert Randolphs Mentor Calvin Cooke.

Wenn man "Let It Slide" in Rotation versetzt, kommt unweigerlich Stimmung vor den Lautsprechern auf. Ganze dreizehn Songs werden geboten. Davon sind acht Eigenkompositionen. Wenn es ganz allgemein um die Slide-Gitarre geht, darf ein Elmore James nicht fehlen. Sterling Koch hat einen seiner sehr bekannten Titel ("It Hurts Me Too") im Programm. Außerdem zitiert er unter anderem zweimal Lieder von Doyle Bramhall (einmal mit Doyle Bramhall II geschieben) beziehungsweise Rick Vito ("My Baby's Hot").

Ohne Zweifel, die Songs haben Anspruch und gehen sehr geschmeidig ins Ohr. Ganz gleich ob mit seinen eigenen Kompositionen oder den Coversongs, Sterling Koch baut richtig gute Laune auf. Er verbindet sein dynamisches Slide-Spiel auch noch mit dem Einsatz von diversen Soundeffekten. Der so erzeugte Druck in den Nummern ist unverkennbar. Bassist Gene Babula sowie John Goba am Schlagzeug kreieren einen mächtigen Beat und von dem Groove kann sich keiner entziehen.

Klar, den "Mercury Blues" haftet man wohl in erster Linie David Lindley, ebenfalls einem Slide-Könner, ans Revers. Sterling Koch lässt dem Stück in Sachen Tempo etwas mehr Zeit, sich zu entfalten. So oder so gibt es ein willkommenes Wiederhören mit diesem Lied. Wie aus der Biografie des Musikers hervor geht, hat er sich auch auf den Chicago-Style des Blues spezialisiert. Ohrenfällig schwappt einem da in "Blow My Mind" gleich eine große, mit tollen Klangspielereien ausgestattete Welle Blues aus der Windy City entgegen. Sterling Koch ... der Mann ist richtig gut und kann obendrein auch noch mit seiner guten Stimme punkten.

Mit "I Don't Know Why" gleiten wir in den nächsten vom Künstler geschriebenen Track und spätestens hier ist man vom 12-Takter-Gefühl des Musikers überzeugt. Mit seinem voll auf Slide-Gitarre eingestellten Temperament haut er einen aus den Schuhen. Sterling Koch ist einer der richtig guten Lap Steeler der Szene. Respekt! Alles was rockt ist klasse. Und was ist mit Balladen? Er schiebt das Instrumental "Lonely Avenvue" zwischen zwei Uptemponummern und jetzt lässt er sein Arbeitsgerät echt sentimental klingen. Hut ab, hier kommt Freude auf. Freunde dieser Spielart kommen bei "Let It Slide" voll auf ihre Kosten. Der Zwölftakter fließt mit Schmackes aus jeder Pore des Musikers. Selbst beim mit einem Spritzer Rock'n'Roll versehenen Eigengewächs "I Wanna Be Your Driver" passt alles sehr gut zusammen. Der Schlusspunkt der Platte "Working Man's Blues" drückt voll auf die Tube. Nach dem letzten Ton ist dann wieder der schnittige, zweiteilige Opener "Shape I'm In" angesagt.

Ganz allgemein wäre von Interesse, wie der Amerikaner ein ganz spezielles Thema aufbereitet, denn im Jahr 2000 hat er "Acoustic Christmas" auf den Markt gebracht. Blues im weihnachtlichen Gewand war immer schon etwas Besonders. "Let It Slide" ist ein tolles Album. Mit seinem Slide-Spiel synchronisiert Sterling Koch die vielfältige Welt des Blues.

Joachim 'Joe' Brookes, 25.06.2013
RockTimes.de



I just received the newest release, Let It Slide from slide guitar master Sterling Koch and it's a blast! I really enjoyed Koch's last release but this one literally blows the doors off! Opening with a short interlude on an acoustic hollow body lap steel Koch opens the carps and lets out with the electric onslaught. Shape I'm In, a countrified blues track with a rock beat, is full bore! You like slide...you've come to the right place! Wrong Side Of The Blues has a more traditional blues rhythm led by Gene Babula on bass and John Goba n drums. Koch has a take no prisoners attack on his slide and even has a bit of wah sound added in. Cool track. We've all heard Mercury Blues done by different artists such as Steve Miller and Dave Lindley but Koch takes his own take on it and it isn't by any means a regular cover tune. Koch is really establishing himself as one of the dominant slide players to watch with his performance on this recording. Blow My Mind has a driving bass and drum line and Koch really is developing as a decent singer to match with his slide guitar playing. Blending both conventional electric and lap steel guitars Koch is giving the steel guitar a new face playing Hendrix and James style riffs. A real standout track on this release is It Hurts Me Too and with a different timbre and attack than other slide players who have covered this track, Koch establishes his as one that should be heard rather than an also played. Too Sorry is a cool Texas style blues track by D. Bramhall and Koch delivers a great rendition of it. I Don't Know Why, another of the 8 original tracks on this release is a bit lower key but shows strong rhythm and enthusiasm. Lonely Avenue is a great ballad style track.. almost like a soundtrack/theme song but played on slide. Nicely done. My Baby's Hot is structured like something right out of Elmore James songbook. Koch's slide work shows real control and taste. I Only Want To Be With You takes a solid dirty blues style but the guitar work is more distinctly lap steel in sound. The riffs are hot and the singing is strong. This guitar is just crying to be rubbed! Ending up with Working Man's Blues, a bit more of a rockin' blues Koch leaves you wanting more. Although I liked Koch's earlier release, I must say this may be the surprise recording for me so far this year. If you really love slide guitar, this is a must have!  

Bman's Blues report - March 15, 2013
 

 L y r i c s


Currently no Lyrics available!

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


Currently no Samples available!