Kate Walsh - Tim's House

by Mike Haydock

Brighton's Kate Walsh deals in delicacy

"Ok, so it’s not even remotely revolutionary: ‘Tim’s House’ is delicately poised, composed of gentle strums, brush pats on a snare drum and Kate’s whisper. But that’s the only platform she needs, because in these quiet moments a power resides"

As much as you want to hate MySpace, especially with Murdoch’s fingers in the pie, it can still astound you - for example when you stumble across talented singer songwriters like Kate Walsh. Word has spread about her gorgeous, hushed melancholy. She’s been in the top 10 list of MySpace acoustic artists for god-knows-how-long, and this debut album explains why.

Ok, so it’s not even remotely revolutionary: ‘Tim’s House’ is delicately poised, composed of gentle strums, brush pats on a snare drum and Kate’s whisper. But that’s the only platform she needs, because in these quiet moments a power resides - a bruised intensity that creeps from beneath pretty tunes.

Kate’s voice, which has similarities to Joni Mitchell, Norah Jones and Gemma Hayes, has an air of resignation and apathy about it, perfectly conveying messages of isolation and battles with love and loss. The album’s pinnacle is ‘Betty’, with its sweeping strings, bursting with sentiment.

Easy on the ear and downbeat, this will only appeal to the contemplative listener, rather than to those of you who rely on music to distract you from life’s complexities and unanswerable quandaries (ie pop fans). But for the former group, Kate Walsh is essential listening and ‘Tim’s House’ is a magnificent debut.

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