Customer Reviews

Beneath My Wheels

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I came to Kevin Welch's music in a roundabout kind of way. Several years ago I happened to see the "Life Down Here on Earth" video (the title track from his 3rd record) on a Canadian country channel. As I fan of seventies folk rock, I found myself drawn to the intelligent lyrics and to the music, which blended influences from traditional country, rock and blues, with a dash of celtic thrown in for flavor. Before I saw the video I was completely unaware of what, it turns out, is called "alternative country." What a relief!

"Beneath My Wheels" showcases Welch's most mature songwriting yet. The songs on this record are, naturally, of a slightly different tenor than his earliest work. These songs, especially the title track, are proufoundly self-reflexive. If you've never heard his work, "Beneath My Wheels" is as good a place as any to start. But don't cheat yourself - collect 'em all. One of the greatest joys of following a gifted songwriter's career is watching him grow up, and getting some perspective on your own life thrown into the bargain.

Kevin Welch is today's answer to Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard. You might call him a junior Highwayman. His label, Dead Reckoning, which he co-founded with Kirean Kane, is a gold mine of talented, grown-up songwriters. Viva alt-country!

So you call yourself a connoisseur of music. Do you own Beneath My Wheels? Have you heard of Kevin Welch? That's alright, we forgive you. Come on in and pull up a chair.

Trying to describe Kevin Welch is like trying to describe flying, but here goes. Beneath My Wheels is a musical journey. Don't get on board the spaceship unless you want to leave planet Earth for awhile. Anna Lise Please is a love song for grown-ups. Fold Your Wings is deliciously seductive. I'm still not sure what a Hill Country Girl is, but I really want to be one. Bastard Nation takes the public debate of adoption to a personal, one on one level. And if you've ever been in love, you've been on the Shores of Stone.

I own the Kevin Welch collection--Kevin Welch, Western Beat, Life Down Here on Earth, Beneath My Wheels, and they tell me Live in Melbourne is in the mail. I've been watching him perform for about nine years. Kevin is a master storyteller. He incorporates well-crafted lyrics and magical melodies, and delivers them in that rough around the edges, yeah-I've-seen-it-all-but-I'm-still-a-believer voice.

So be good to yourself. Get Beneath My Wheels. It's cheaper than therapy and a lot more fun.

Kevin Welch is an Oklahoman who had lived in Nashville long enough to co-found a CD label ("Dead Reckoners") and produce/play on more than a dozen excellent albums.

You can call it "Americana" or "alternate country" or whatever, but Kevin Welch's songs are so well-written, and his voice has become soooo charming and persuasive that perhaps the grace of God is the only reason he isn't a well-known personality in the lives of millions of country-music-lovin' radio listeners.

I've been listening to Kevin for about six years. I've seen him live a couple of times but have never met him. I know it's "tacky" or at least un-p.c. to bring up a person's looks when doing a music review but Kevin Welch is a whole persona, and his stance and posture lends itself to his performance. He is graceful in every way, and yet very very humble in his heart.

This CD is a wonderful song compilation. The sweetness of "Anna Lise Please" might be what your ear catches on the first listen, and "Everybody's Gotta Walk" might remind you a bit of Dylan's "Got To Serve Somebody", but listen again. Listen to Kev's voice on the achingly lovely "Fold Your Wings", and dance around a little bit to "Bastard Nation", but listen to the words, too. The title track, "Beneath My Wheels", is fun to sing with. He probably hates being called "a romantic writer," but he IS one. There are no cool-ly scary songs on this CD so you might have to buy one of his previous CDs if you want the full picture.

I get the sense that Kevin is an important artist, someone who can change lives with songs. He's not just another pretty voice!

I had one other Kevin Welch CD. I sort of liked it. Then I heard one song on the radio from 'Beneath My Wheels'. It was "Anna Lise", and I did not recognize Kevin's voice at the beginning. His singing is the strongest it has ever been and with such nice phrasing and nuance. Anyway, this song, "Anna Lise" is structured like that of another half dozen of a dozen or so songs on the new release. It starts out slowly, even sometimes awkwardly, but it gradually adds interesting instruments and licks mixed at a low level which gradually swells and before you realize what happened you've been totally *hooked* into a new full-tilt country/folk/rock classic. He does the Stones and ZZ Top better than they do. Don't misunderstand, this is not a "rock" album but its real hard to call it a "country" album as well. Mr. Welch does not fit a mold. I purchased this CD having heard just the one song on the radio, something I rarely do. Seven of the eleven or twelve on the disc are outstanding. Outstanding as in you hear the first and you are knocked out, you hear the second and think 'whoa that was better than the last one', then the third is better than the second... Outstanding like breathlessly well written, arranged, and performed. Breathless as in 'waiting with bated', not breathless as in 'worn out'. Sometimes an instrument or a voice takes a note unexpectedly. All the expected notes are there, but sometimes its not the expected guitar or organ playing the note, it may be the bass or a voice... a nice refreshing approach. This latest Kevin Welch effort is truly a masterpiece. Buy this CD.

doug shaw

Kevin Welch's music combines the best traditions of folk music and story telling, while drawing from musical styles of country, blues and rock. His first three albums show him to be a strong performer who can both write and sing. Whether performing his own songs ("Early Summer Rain," "The Other Side," "Some Kind of Paradise") or interpreting the songs of others contemporary writers ("Train to Birmingham," "Me and Billy the Kid Never Got Along"), Welch is a performer with subtle strength and intelligence.

Perhaps too intelligent for Nashville, too subtle to make it in the dollar-driven pop country culture. He doesn't fit into pseudo-cowboy/pop singer mold mainstream Nashville is enthralled with these days. He is less commercial than most of his counterparts on Music Row, which is why he teamed up with Kieran Kane, Harry Stinson, et al, to create Dead Reckoning Records. The Reckoners have established a musical co-op that encourages creativity and artistry rather than looking for the next big thing.

Beneath My Wheels is his fourth album of the 90's, his second on Dead Reckoning. Here, for the first time, he wrote all the songs-no co-writers. This is his vision. That decision let's his best work here ("Beneath My Wheels," "Anne Lise Please," "Bastard Nation") shine through is perfect focus. Musically, he continues to work in the studio his Dead Reckoners label mates, and a few select friends, to carve out his musical space. Mike Henderson supplies most of the electric guitar work, that is highlighted by his reverb soaked playing on "Anne Lise Please." Glenn Worf provides a solid, inventive bass foundation, while Harry Stinson helps out on the vocal arrangements. Welch's vocals have always been good, but his expression and phrasing on this album stand out, especially the way he half-breathes lines of desperation in "Anne Lise Please" and "Beneath My Wheels."

This isn't mainstream country. It's much better. It's meatier, and you'll need to do a bit of thinking if you want to get the most out of it. Let's hope more people pick up on Kevin Welch. This isn't a bad place to start. And go see him live if you have the opportunity. You won't regret it.

One of the best works to come down the pike in a very long time!Not a bad track on this cd.This is not the usual "canned" music we get from Nashville.Kevin Welch is the real deal and can sing and write with the best of them.The musicians on the cd are fantasic with Mike Henderson playing the best guitar in Nashville.I've read all the reviews and no one mentions the hidden track at the end.Eerie and spellbinding.BUY THIS CD !!!

Just wanted to drop a note and say that, hands down, this was the best/most fun/most interesting album I've ever worked on. Kevin is the same laid back, honest, intelligent person in person as he sounds like he is from listening to his music. I wouldn't know how to label his style of music, it's kinda acoustic country/rock, but some of the songs rock really hard and some are just Kevin and his acoustic guitar. Sorry to plug something that i worked on, but it really is a great album (and I'm not just saing that because that's my 2 month old daughter on the extra track) ;-)

What a mystery that Kevin Welch isn't more famous! His songs and musicianship are fabulous, strong, poetic. A terrific artist: Don't miss him.

While I haven't heard the album, I did see Kevin Welch live in Philadelphia, and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially "One Way Rider" and "Train to Birmingham". I really liked his style and am certainly going to buy his album.

I'm not a real country music fan, and this album certainly has country roots, but I keep playing it over and over; I love it. Anna Lise Please is one of the most enjoyable pieces of music I've heard in a long time. This album is a great find.