Search - Mike Welch :: Catch Me

Confounding blues purists, Mike Welch celebrates his deep appreciation of straight-up blues and pristine rock & roll on his third album, his best to date. The Boston-based guitar whiz, still in his teens, grabs you by the short hairs of your soul with opener "As Good As Gone," an infectious rock number, and he seldom lets go for the next 50 minutes. His singing, once a liability, is more than adequate here, and his guitar playing is stronger and more focused than ever before. The slow-tempoed "Blues for Cara" has Welch choosing all the right notes with calmness and judicious care, without a thought to grandstanding. His frenetic version of "Money" salutes the R&B-era Beatles, while "Changing of the Guard" implants itself in your subconscious with a delightful melodic lilt. Welch and George Lewis (formerly the Welch band rhythm guitarist) make a good songwriting team, hip to the structure and surprising flow of superior pop-rock that belongs to the Merseybeat '60s and late '70s of Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe. --Frank-John Hadley