Monster Mike Welch -Cryin' Hey !

Monster Mike Welch
Cryin' Hey !
Dixiefrog/Night&Day –DFGCD 8601
2005
(60'12")

It was bound to happen, and there it is : after a couple albums where the best sometimes sided the less valuable, followed by a sidemanship with Sugar Ray Norcia's band that made some improvements obvious, Mike Welch finally comes out with the maturity album. It is indeed a modern blues perfect CD we get here. Not a single taste flaw, each of the 13 proposed songs is a gem, a gift, a reward, a happy event of cohesion, of concision and of "know how". Beautifully supported by Nick Moss on lead guitar for Cryin' Hey !, Joaquin Riley and Give Me Time, and for every cut by Anthony Geracionu piano, Michael "Mudcat" Ward on bass and Warren Granton drums, Welchhas self produced his album, recorded live in the studio, showing his multiple talents, those of guitarist and singer spreading all over from the beginning to the end of this one hour of high quality electric blues. An album that may surprise his early fans as well as those who, in the same time, prefered to stay away from the then new comer productions. For if those, unless they want to deny what's obvious, won't be able to turn down still young but O so mature Mike Welch's art, the early fans, who accepted everything from his 90's albums, probably don't expect such a high level of accomplishment, atleast for those who'll be able to tell the difference. In other words, this is an excellent CD, probably one of the best in today's electric blues for the year 2005. The kind that's worth the 15 or 20 dollar bill you'll leave to get it at your usual record store.
www.monstermikewelch.com
René Malines