“Haven’t you heard I’m stuck on a verse, I’m stuck on a boy who fills me with joy,” Kate Walsh dreamily breathes above the faint sound of an acoustic guitar on “Your Song," the most popular track on her second album "Tim’s House". Hauntingly beautiful, Walsh sings of young love and everything that comes with it - the pining, the carelessness, the rush, and the falling. This sets the backdrop for the poetic album, originally released in 2007, which somehow puts confusion and raw emotion into simple enchanted melodies accompanied by the airy uniqueness of her voice. Although a slightly older album, "Tim’s House" stands the test of time, transporting listeners to an ethereal state perfect for rainy days and long walks over crunching leaves. In the times of dance music and auto-tuning, underground folk music is making a return, a breath of fresh air to hear authentic vocals take center stage. With that being said, consider this album a lifetime’s supply of oxygen and an invitation to appreciate music in its purest form.
The other-worldly, simplistic quality of Kate Walsh’s music fits her upbringing. She was raised in Burnham-On-Crouch, Essex, a small fishing village located in the East of England. After graduating from the Brighton School of Modern Music, she released her first debut album "Clocktower Park" in 2003, and despite its limited success, Walsh was persistent. With the faith of her producer Tim Bidwell, she recorded her second album in Tim’s home recording studio (hence, the inspiration for the album’s title). Although gifted in playing the piano ever since she was a young girl, British singer/songwriter Kate Walsh utilizes her other musical talents with the acoustic guitar in her second album, relying more on string instrumentals to portray her feelings. Despite what her songs may suggest, she’s described as being a straight-up independent individual for the most part, a Jane Austen-like woman, but like all singer/songwriters, Walsh has an affinity for the romantic, the tragic, and all the in-betweens.
"Tim’s House" leads listeners through the lush thoughts of a girl in love in “Your Song” to the hopeful declarations full of possibilities in the slightly more upbeat and rhythmic “French Song." A masterpiece of words, “Don’t Break My Heart” draws poignant emotions to the surface, depicting the complicated situation when a young woman can’t see her ex-love because her heart is still on the mend and seeing him would only open the wound all over again. “‘Cause if I see your face again you’ll break my heart again…I cannot be in matrimony with a dream of love like on the silver screen,” Walsh heartbreakingly sings, balancing "Tim’s House’s" songs of wonder and dreams with songs of raw cold emotion.
Walsh stated, “I sing mainly with my eyes shut and I feel every word.” With a clear and pure quality that characterizes her voice, her talent, and nothing other than that, is what makes the music able to carry across so much sentiment to the listener as her songs transform into more than mere lyrics, but into stories that you believe. "Tim’s House" is a true compilation of sing-song melodies, capturing those moments in life that make us stop in our tracks and creates a day a little more thoughtful, a little more sentimental, and a whole lot dreamier.
