After 30 years of jamming in the background with a variety of Irish artists ranging from Sean Fleming and Blackthorn, Seamus Kelleher is stepping into the spotlight. Under his arm is a fantastic debut CD, 4 Cups of Coffee, which is both an artistic and personal triumph for the 53-year-old native of Salthill in Co. Galway. "It's contemporary blues with a Celtic feel," says Kelleher over coffee during a recent chat with the Irish Voice. "Blues informs many of the tunes here, but I grew up on Celtic rock and folk from the likes of Fairport Convention.

"From the first day I played the guitar it was the blues. Before that, I played Irish music on the piano. There was BB King, Albert King, and then Clapton. I think all of that ended up on the album."

The songs tumble through the speakers with a sense of urgency from a man who has been waiting for three decades for the chance to speak his mind, and not a breath is wasted.

The CD opens with the touching "My Friend Ben," a slow burn acoustic blues number that pays tribute to the guitarist's best friend, Brendan Glynn, who was lost to cancer.

"We used to talk about the ways of the world/the conversations always turned to girls/the ones who laughed, the ones who cried/the ones who kept their emotions inside/he fought a war for five long years/confronting all of his greatest fears," Kelleher sings.

"Brendan was my best friend," he recalls. "I was blessed with this friendship for many decades until cancer took him. We never had a cross word in many miles of road, so to speak. The song was my way of dealing with loss, though I think the musical arrangement is uplifting all the same.

"I didn't want this to be totally depressing. I miss him, but I was writing this to celebrate the friendship as opposed to mourning."

Though old friends haunt 4 Cups of Coffee, there are new pals that seep into the arrangements. Along with clothes and a guitar, Kelleher packed Andrew Harkin, the bass guru who has brought his blend of speedy funk to bands like the Prodigals and Seanchai and the Unity Squad over the years. On this CD, Harkins keeps it mellow, adding subtle, meaty undertones that support the bluesy rock arrangements.

"Andrew is a special human being," says Kelleher. "He is an amazing musician and bassist. It was odd to pick him of all people to help in a way, because we never technically played together. Even the producer looked at me like I had two heads when I told him about Andrew.

"But I knew he was amazing and it was important for me to have someone from back home to share this experience. In the end I was right to bring him. One of the Nashville players even said, 'It's not right what that boy can do with a bass.'"

Hurt never sounded so good as it does on the gorgeous "Missing My Hometown," a track that guarantees a lump in the throat of anyone who hasn't been back to "the auld sod" in a while.

The mood isn't all blue on the disc, as Kelleher takes great care to avoid the poor-me pitfalls that can plague the blues. His playful side comes out on the playful honky-tonk of the title track.

"Four cups of coffee/three shots of gin/three Irish whiskeys/can't you see the state I'm in/hey bartender/don't give me anymore/can't you see the devil is knocking on my door," he sings over a riff reminiscent of a Dire Straits musical bed.

On this track, as well as the tribute to Elmore James and Robert Johnson known as "Dust My Broom," Kelleher displays chops rarely seen in pale skinned Celts. Folklore has it that the blues were born when Robert Johnson made a deal with the devil at the crossroads, but in Kelleher's world, Lucifer is just another guy on the next barstool.

"There are five songs that deal with loss, which is a key ingredient to the blues," explains Kelleher. "The songs are definitely informed by struggles I've had, but it is also influenced heavily by my optimistic view.

"I think there are blues elements in the arrangements, but I am hoping that people hear the joy in the making of this music as well."

Kelleher co-produced a fantastic concert and companion DVD a few years back that paid homage to Rory Gallagher, another Irish bluesman who inspired him as a teen. It's no surprise to see Rory's "What's Going On" standing alongside the originals. Kelleher spits fiery guitar riffs across these melodies, inspiring the air guitarist inside this reviewer.

"Rory was a huge influence," he says. "It was the songwriting he did that differentiated him in my mind. He did play blues, but there was rock and folk coming from him as well. That always amazed me."

With a wife, four kids, a day job, a teaching gig at NYU and a full weekend schedule with Blackthorn, Kelleher was understandably distracted with one priority or another over the years that became a hurdle that kept him from, in his words, "going for it."

As more time went on, he says he became terrified that he wouldn't be able to live this dream. His wife, Mary Pat, a quiet voice of Irish reason if ever there was one, encouraged him to move forward, and armed with this support from the home front and blind ambition, Kelleher decided to do some unique fundraising to support his dream.

"I set about with an email I called 'a decent proposal.' I asked people to buy shares in the album, with about $2,500 being the price of each share," he explains.

"I got $10,000 within the first week. I sold all the shares soon after that. The whole experience taught me never to underestimate the number of people pulling for you.

"There is a big difference in your playing when you know you have that many people in your corner. It inspires you to play as good as you can."

This lifelong dream commenced last April, when he headed to Nashville to record these songs over a four day period with producer Peter Huttlinger, one of Nashville's most sought after guitar players and producers (LeAnn Rimes, John Denver).

Huttlinger assembled the top session players in Nashville for Kelleher's project, including John Gardner, the drummer for the Dixie Chicks.

"There was a huge risk in exposing yourself," Kelleher explains as he describes the experience of entering into the room with such legendary session players. "I was listening to the rough demos of the songs driving to the studio at the beginning of the week wondering what they would sound like when we concluded at the end of the week.

"I thought it would be pretty intimidating as you walk into a room of Grammy Award winners with your silly little songs. They have played with the likes of the Dixie Chicks and what not. That wasn't the experience at all.

"I was really walking into the room with four-five musicians waiting to making room for me to be great. It was a huge thrill to be in the room with them. I think it was the most fun I ever had making music."

For fans of Blackthorn who might be afraid that Kelleher is planning an exit strategy from Philadelphia's greatest Irish band, he reports that the experience of making a solo CD actually brought the band closer together.

"The band was incredibly supportive," he says. "My band mate, John Boyce, said it inspired him, especially when he took into account what it took to get the finished product in his hands. He thought it was done right without cutting corners, which was a huge acknowledgement.

"The guys allowed me the space to record and write it. They cut down on their gigs substantially to make sure that happened. I was thinking about quitting the band at one point last year, but the support they showed me throughout this project has reinvigorated my playing and dedication to the band."

Kelleher is eager to use Blackthorn for his backing band as he promotes 4 Cups of Coffee. He will be taking the mike during the band's summer gigs.

The granddaddy of all Blackthorn gigs is the legendary Irish weekend in Wildwood, New Jersey the weekend of September 21 (log onto irishthing.com for more details). I personally can't wait to see what Blackthorn will do with the songs on this excellent disc.

Like coffee, the music from Kelleher is sometimes dark, occasionally sweet, and hot as hell!

4 Cups of Coffee is available on CDBaby.com and iTunes. For more information, log onto SeamusK.com.