The Launch of a Worthwhile Journey
Square Peg (Independent)
Chris Walsh
Walsh, a Bardstown native and resident, has completed a labor of love with the independent release of his debut album, Square Peg. The quality of the album and the sincerity of Walsh's music is proof that his labor was not in vain.
Walsh's singing has the easy feel of James Taylor, but with more hair. For the most part, Square Peg is soft, pleasing rock that Walsh serves up with compassion and sensitivity. Walsh only missteps when he tries to do more than he should, as on the countrified "Better Days." Walsh doesn't have the grit and twang the song needs to sound genuine.
Walsh's lyrics are simple and soulful, with an undercurrent of spirituality that grounds his words in real life (as on the beautiful "There Beside You" and "In Silence"). For the most part, Walsh is able to communicate his ideas elegantly, as on "Convinced": "I don't want to walk this road alone/There are too many people with too many stones." The only hiccups are when Walsh falls into cliché territory, as on "Road I Walk."
For a debut album, those are minor squabbles. Overall, Walsh has put together an album that speaks of love and loss in an evocative and knowing voice. Many of his songs have a journey motif running through them; local music fans can be thankful that Walsh's journey has just begun.