Kelsh is a plain talkin man with strong feelings that he knows as well as most people know their name. His voice is emotional, but not dramatic, just the sound of a compassionate human being who's been around. He's palpably southern, a Carolinan. One of the most interesting things about being a Yankee in Nashville these many years is getting to know all the different kinds of rebel souls, since most of my friends are players, singers and writers. People from Mississippi and Texas or from Louisiana and North Carolina are as different as people from New York and Minnesota. Read more

In his third independent release, Well of Mercy, Nashville singer/songwriter Michael Kelsh strums and picks his way through 15 polished country-folk songs, one co-written with Rodney Crowell, the project's executive producer. Read more

Michael Kelsh is a Nashville songwriter who has the admiration of peers like Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell and Joy Lynn White. Multi-instrumentalist Kelsh, who has been away since 2001, has songs that don't grab you by the neck. Instead they sneak up on you. When you sit back and listen even more closely you can't help but marvel at his poetry that's been compared to such lofty writers as Townes Van Zandt and Jackson Browne. Read more

Michael Kelsh takes his time and gets things right. The Nashville songwriter first came to our attention in 2001 with the release of his excellent “Well of Mercy.” A mere 16 years later, we have “Harmony Sovereign,” a compelling new collection. Little wonder that the album contains 16 beautifully crafted songs. Read more