Western Beat is the second studio album by Kevin Welch, as Kevin Welch @nd The Overtones, released in 1992 on Reprise Records. This was Welch's last album for Reprise, before he went on to co-found Dead Reckoning Records in 1994 with fellow musicians Kieran Kane, Mike Henderson, Tammy Rogers, and Harry Stinson.

Western Beat
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 10, 1992 (1992-04-10)
GenreCountry
Length39:35
LabelReprise
ProducerHarry Stinson & Kevin Welch
Kevin Welch chronology
Kevin Welch
(1990)
Western Beat
(1992)
Life Down Here on Earth
(1995)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [1]

Critical reception

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Thom Owens of AllMusic calls Western Beat "a fresh, lively sound, supported by a number of first-rate songs."[1]

Allen Howie of Louisville Music News concludes his review by saying, "Credit must be given to the Overtones, who sound like a real band throughout, not just some amalgam of studio vets. Their music is the heart of Western Beat, and Welch's dead-on writing and singing are its soul."[2]

Daniel Durchholz of RiverFront Times writes, "Maybe it's better if Welch's music is just allowed to speak for itself, which it has on four dazzling albums, starting with his self-titled debut in 1990 and 1992's aforementioned Western Beat."[3]

Geoffrey Himes of the Washington Post wasn't very impressed with Western Beat and writes, "Welch's melodies and rhythms are serviceable in a derivative Nashville sort of way, but his songs sink on the strength of the lyrics."[4]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Kevin Welch, unless otherwise noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Early Summer Rain" 4:27
2."The Other Side" 3:43
3."I Look For You"Kevin Welch; Wally Wilson3:33
4."Happy Ever After (Comes One Day At A Time)" 3:49
5."Something 'Bout You" 3:17
6."Sam's Town"Kevin Welch; Gary Nicholson3:54
7."Webelo Waggle" 0:52
8."Same Old Rain" 4:32
9."Train To Birmingham"John Hiatt4:13
10."The Restless Kind"Michael Henderson3:21
11."Me And Billy The Kid Never Got Along"Joe Ely3:47
12."The End" 0:07
Total length:39:35

Musicians

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Production

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  • Harry Stinson: Producer
  • Kevin Welch: Producer
  • Peter Coleman: Engineer
  • Ron Keith: Photography
  • Laura LiPuma-Nash: Art Direction

All track information and credits were taken from the album's liner notes.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b Owens, Thom. Western Beat at AllMusic
  2. ^ Howie, Allen (1 July 1992). "smooth, but not slick". louisvillemusicnews.net. Louisville Music News. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  3. ^ Durchholz, Daniel. "Beat Happening". riverfronttimes.com. RiverFront Times. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  4. ^ Himes, Geoffrey (15 May 1992). "Conventional Sound of Welch's Country". Washington Post. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  5. ^ Western Beat (liner notes). Kevin Welch. Reprise. 1992.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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