Monster Mike Welch : Catch Me / Adding Insight to Injury

Album: Catch Me
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 1998
Styles: Blues
Time: 52:27
Size: 120,3 MB
Covers: Full

(4:39) 1. As Good as Gone
(4:27) 2. Make Up Your Mind
(3:56) 3. If I Love You
(5:56) 4. Mole's Blues
(3:53) 5. Changing of the Guard
(2:30) 6. Catch Me (Nothing Lasts Forever)
(4:41) 7. Worried Life Blues
(3:37) 8. Can't Reach You
(2:50) 9. My Love Belongs to You
(2:55) 10. A Price to Pay
(6:18) 11. Blues for Cara
(3:09) 12. Money (That's What I Want)
(3:33) 13. Don't Worry

In the kid-blues sweepstakes, "Monster" Mike Welch was one of the first on the scene and one who quickly got lost in the shuffle. This probably had more to do with his non-Hanson-like looks (à la Kenny Wayne and Johnny Lang) than his actual talent on his instrument, never a real consideration in these matters. Therefore in a move to distance himself from the pack and grab a little credibility in the bargain, his third album finds him dropping the teeny bopper "Monster Mike" tag, growing a beard, and scowling into the camera whenever possible. Musically, this time around he shows little growth since his previous two outings. Welch dials in every SRV-approved sound from his Stratocaster and his playing is still highly derivative, offering note-for-note guitar runs from everyone from Magic Sam to Albert Collins to B.B. King. To his credit, however, Welch sounds less like a Stevie Ray "Vaughanabee" than Kenny Wayne does, and if his vocals are wispy-kid embarrassing on tunes like "Catch Me" and "My Love Belongs to You," he never tries to strangle his voice to attain Johnny Lang's phony blues rasp. But nobody can deny that Welch can play his rear end off; if all blues album were ever meant to be was one big hot lick festival, then this one would rank as an all-time great. -- Allmusic.

Catch Me

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Album: Adding Insight to Injury
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2004
Styles: Blues
Time: 55:40
Size: 128,0 MB
Covers: Full

(3:07) 1. But for the Grace of You
(3:40) 2. Get Over Me
(4:01) 3. Lose You
(4:18) 4. Good at Goodbye
(3:54) 5. Slapback
(7:09) 6. Thunder in the Distance
(3:35) 7. I Don't Want to Come Down
(3:56) 8. Do You Know Who You Are
(5:10) 9. Masters of War
(4:35) 10. Flying High
(5:20) 11. Tomorrow Morning
(2:39) 12. Into Thin Air
(4:10) 13. Kings and Pawns

Mike Welch, a guy who has won a Boston Music Award, been profiled on CNN, and hung out with Dan Akroyd, who bestowed Mike Welch with his bestial nickname and Monster Mike keeps things going monstrously strong with his new record Adding Insight to Injury. Every track on Insight displays tendencies of the classic blues sound, yet many of the pieces could be more truly called neo-blues. While some artists appear highly concerned with classical blues arrangements and instrumentation, Welch works with anything that sounds good. There is an invigorating newness to Monster Mike's sound that spaces him away from the pack. There's plenty of stuff on this record to give the artist his road-house cred, such as "Get Over Me." Insight isn't all just senseless, mass produced "I Love the Blues!!" fluff however, this Monster has multiple dimensions. Welch displays his dark side in the acidic why-don't-you-just-die-already "Masters of War," the ultimate piss-off song apparently directed at someone who may be the Monster's bad side. From the sound of this track, it's not a fun place to be. Welch also proves his funk quotient on the record in songs such as "Do You Know Who You Are?" a funky inquisition peppered with Welch's ripping guitar a funky, well-tempered Clavinet that would have Stevie himself take notice. -- Amazon.

Adding Insight to Injury

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