On June 24, 2022, 22 years after his debut album, Chris Colter's new album will be released on TIMEZONE Records under the humorous title "Nice To Be Back To Be Back Nice".
Most contemporaries know the powerful-voiced Bavarian by his real name, Christian "Cheese" Koller, and primarily as the singer of bands such as Tana Nile, Snakehunter, and the CheeseBallz. In the quiet of 2021, Chris looks back on an impressive back catalog of six studio albums, one live album, and 6 years of gigs on numerous stages in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Dozens of songs were written during this time and never released. The idea of a musical inventory culminated in the summer at the Ostwerk music production studio north of Regensburg. Produced by Richie Necker, 36 new, entirely self-written songs were created, which, in their very own way—sometimes sounding like John Hiatt, sometimes like Bob Seger, and occasionally like Blackberry Smoke—tell stories and dreams from the world of real small-town boys.
The singer/songwriter released his debut album, "Late at Night," in 1999, which was recorded in Nashville, USA, and produced by Joe Sun. Back then, Chris worked with a number of well-known songwriters, including Gary Nicholson, who also appears on the then-current Wynonna album and had also written for Petty Loveless and Billy Ray Cyrus. Another interesting songwriter on "Late at Night" is John E. Moffat, who has also written for Pam Tillis and Steve Earl, among others. He also brought a few interesting musicians into the studio who had worked for country greats like Lyle Lovette and Faith Hill. "Late at Night" was released on Rosewood Records.
The creation of the debut album seemed to have electrified the established country music scene around the German American Country Music Federation, and Chris Colter was nominated for their 1999 Newcomer of the Year award and invited to the big country music gala in Chemnitz. However, it remained a nomination. The jury nevertheless awarded the singer/songwriter the distinction "too rock for country, too country for rock."
01 Long Gone
02 Cuban Tush
03 Tell It To The Moon
04 Cross That Line
05 Don't Treat Me Like That
06 Now You're Gone
07 Should Have Known Better
08 Clown Without A Circus
09 Under The Sun
10 Saving the Best for Last
11 Moving On
12 Tagish River
