| Southern Steel | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 5, 1991 [1] | |||
| Recorded | M.O.R. Studio, McDonough, Georgia | |||
| Genre | Instrumental rock | |||
| Length | 38:09 | |||
| Label | MCA [2] | |||
| Producer | Steve Morse | |||
| Steve Morse chronology | ||||
| ||||
Southern Steel is the fourth studio album by the American guitarist Steve Morse, released in 1991. [3] [4] [5] "Cut to the Chase" appeared on the soundtrack to Ski Patrol . [6] "Simple Simon" was a minor heavy metal radio hit. [7] Morse promoted the album with a North American tour. [8]
Morse, who wrote all of the album's songs, was backed by drummer Van Romaine and bass player Dave LaRue. [9] [10] Morse first worked on the music for "Arena Rock" during his time with Kansas. [11]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Calgary Herald | C [13] |
| Chicago Tribune | |
The Calgary Herald wrote: "Obviously an ardent Jeff Beck fan, this one rings with everything Beckish except Jan Hammer." [13] The Chicago Tribune determined that "the album is fast and heavy hick-rock and though it goes through plenty of chord and tempo changes, Morse's fingers never get cold." [6]
The Austin American-Statesman deemed the album Morse's "most mainstream rock to date." [14] The Los Angeles Times called it "instrumental rock in overdrive but with conspicuous intelligence in the driver's seat." [15]
Paul Kohler at AllMusic wrote that "Morse always delivers, especially on this uptempo, hard-hitting, instrumental rock virtuosity." [12]
All music is composed by Steve Morse.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cut to the Chase" | 3:53 |
| 2. | "Simple Simon" | 3:49 |
| 3. | "Vista Grande" | 5:04 |
| 4. | "Sleaze Factor" | 3:39 |
| 5. | "Battle Lines" | 4:07 |
| 6. | "Southern Steel" | 3:56 |
| 7. | "Wolf Song" | 3:22 |
| 8. | "Weekend Overdrive" | 4:06 |
| 9. | "Arena Rock" | 4:01 |
| 10. | "Point Counterpoint" | 2:12 |
| Total length: | 38:09 | |