Monster Mike Welch – Nothing But Time
14 songs – 66 minutes
One of the foremost instrumentalists of the modern era, Monster Mike Welch is back at the absolute top of his game as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, too, bouncing back in style after enduring more blues than anyone should be allowed to endure.
Still only age 44 and a former child prodigy who received his nickname at age 13 from Dan Aykroyd, Mike picked up the instrument at age eight, took a head-first dive into the West Side Chicago sounds of Magic Sam, Otis Rush and Earl Hooker and never looked back. Already an established recording artist on the Tone-Cool label before he reached driving age, he became a national presence in 2003 with the Severn recording of Sugar Ray & the Bluetones Featuring Monster Mike Welch.
For the next 25 years, he worked and record regularly with the Bluetones along with a long laundry list of world-class talents. But he truly hit the bigtime when he joined forces with Mike Ledbetter, then a member of the Nick Moss Band, for a tribute to Rush at the 2016 Chicago Blues Festival. Their resulting partnership, Welch Ledbetter Connection produced only one CD in their brief run, Right Place Right Time, captured top honors at the 2018 Blues Music Awards for traditional album of the year along with nominations for band and guitarist of the year honors – a trophy Welch took home the next year, too.
All of their success went up in smoke in January 2019, however, when Ledbetter succumbed at home to complications of epilepsy at age 33 – an event that devastated Monster Mike. He was just starting to round himself into form when coronavirus shut down the world a year later, and a case of long-term COVID left him debilitated for 18 months, derailing him so severely that he wondered if he’d ever perform again.
Fortunately for blues lovers around the world, this disc – Welch’s first on Mike Zito’s Gulf Coast imprint – proves beyond a doubt that – as hard as it is to believe – his talents have risen above anything he’s done before. His sensitive, stinging attack on the six-string sets him apart from all his peers. And, as someone who’s usually left the singing to others, his strong voice shows he deserves to be in the spotlight for it, too.
Produced by Kid Andersen, this CD was recorded at Greaseland Studios in California with a star-studded lineup. Grammy-winner Jerry Jemmott and Bob Welsh split bass and keys duties with Andersen throughout the highly personal, emotion-packed set. They’re joined by Fabrice Bessouat on drums, Eric Spaulding, Mike Peloquin, Jack Sanford and Dr. Aaron Lington on sax, John Halblieb on trumpet and Mike Rinta on trombone. Rick Estrin sits in on harp, Vicki Randle provides additional percussion, and JQ Welch, Lisa Leuschner Andersen and Jeannette Ocampo Welch contribute backing vocals.
The West Side feel sweeps over you from the opening notes of the original, “Walking to You Baby,” which opens with a fiery guitar run before Monster Mike announces to his lady that he’s on his feet again and gotten his head out of his past. His passionate, extended mid-tune solo amplifies his passion. An uptempo take on Robert Johnson’s “If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day” carries the message forward before yielding to “I’ve Got Nothing But Time,” a deliberate, funky shuffle in which Welch pledges his love and devotion to the woman at his side.
A true-blue take on John Lennon’s “I Me Mine” follows before Monster Mike delivers a nine-song run of originals. “Offswitch Blues” yearns for a way to turn off the voices speaking to him in his head before the horn-propelled, soul-drenched “I Ain’t Saying” serves up a little advice to a lady that “you could use a man like me.” The feel continues but the mood darkens with “In Case You Care” – in which Welch announces he’s lost the woman’s number and wiped from his memory…along with her address, which he hopes is far away.
“Time to Move,” delivers advice about what to do if you’ve lost everything then yields to “Losing Every Battle,” a juke-joint style pleaser in which he promises to keep coming back until he wins the fight. The Otis Rush-style blues, “Hard to Get Along With,” states that Welch wishes he could be a better man then he is today before the uptempo rocker, “Jump for Joy,” suggests leaping to see if it’s in your reach. Two more originals — “Ten Years Ago” and “Afraid of My Own Tears” – precede Johnson’s “Kind Hearted Woman Blues” to close.
I’ve putting Nothing But Time on my short list for a nomination next time awards season comes around. Give this one a listen and you will, too!
