Greg Koch Band: Plays Well With Others Review

With his latest release, Plays Well With Others, Greg Koch is impressive, as is the list of guest artists that join him for the soul-filled release.  Along with Joe Bonamassa and Robben Ford, Crescent City pianist Jon Cleary, guitarist Paul Barrere, bassist Roscoe Beck, and drummer Brannen Temple appear alongside an already stellar band to produce an eclectic album, full of blues, soul, and R&B.

Equal parts Memphis, New Orleans and Chicago, Plays Well With Others, features fifteen stellar tracks.  Among the many highlights are “Walk Before You Crawl” and “Spanish Wine,” which features the beautiful playing of pianist Jon Cleary.  Robben Ford brings a jazz vibe to the album with “Sho Nuff” and “Whisky Rainstorm” is a tour of the blues, moving from Al Green to Albert Collins in the span of little more than three minutes.  After spending time in the realm of organ-filled soul, “Hey Godzilla” proves that Koch and company sound just as good at edgier, rock-inspired blues.

There’s not much to dislike about the album. The band is great and the production is solid, and the songs are good.  Not only are the lyrics creative and evocative, but the song forms are also not boring, and the bass lines are creative.  To put it simply, it is great music.

The Review: 8.5/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– Simone
– Walk Before You Crawl
– Spanish Wine
– Sho Nuff

The Big Hit

– Spanish Wine

Review by Nik Rodewald

Buy the album: Amazon | iTunes