There’s an ever broadening cast of Ohio rock adherents that will basically voch for anything remotely bizarre from the state round on the ends and hi in the middle. Joe Walsh not withstanding, there’re unquestionably a number of reasons to dig for anything from that phenomenal state – CLE stuff and downer Columbus work being clutch. It seems, though, that as time wears on and folks find or revisit some of those albums – or convince the old guys to perform again – a new swell of appreciation reveals itself.

David Welsh, who now apparently goes by Jimi Paulix, issued a disc thirty years ago without including a song that anyone would be able to sing along to. It’s not that there wasn’t a tunefulness to some of the work on Blue Lightning Accent, but his vocals are more concerned with being around the right note than being on it. Of course, his guitar playing might make up for any of that perceived tone-deafness. But only sometimes.

As Paulix, there’s apparently a new album that’s either been finished or almost there. That’s according to the Numero Group folks. And while it’s not a surprise that the folks behind the imprint are taken with the concept of Welsh’s work, traveling to hear it seems a bit much.

Anyway, the man’s one album, released in 1980, does at points warrant to renewed fawning that it’s been getting of late. It’s penultimate “Blue Morning” is all coffee house blue folk angled at the crowd who might enjoy snapping fingers in lieu of clapping. And while the track ends up being rather difficult to wade through due to Welsh’s caterwauling, his guitar work and the temp changes (at least three) are startlingly well conceived and executed. Granted, some of the guitar stuff is just comprised of easy blues cops, but it works.

Easily the most aggressive and perhaps enduring efforts here is the disc’s title track. As Welsh is joined by a full band, his guitar shifts through chords that only make total sense to him – and maybe even not completely. There’s some free improv backing the song, but more than a few times, the lurching music clearly has its plotted out points. As an instrumental, an electric one at that, “Blue Lightning Accent” is easily tops. The rest of the album and the fact that landing a copy might put a dent in your beer money, though, doesn’t make it all that noteworthy.