Photo Credit: Barnaby Fairley
Words: Abi Hawes

Starsailor’s frontman James Walsh is set to continue growing his solo career with his new album ‘It’s all happening’ on January 30th. Having set the tone for his new album by releasing several new songs, including his most recent single ‘I can’t stop myself from loving you’. Having helped define a wave of early 2000s British rock that balanced raw emotion and elegant song writing in his band Starsailor, he is set to bring a new insight to his talent. Starsailor have reached the top two in the charts twice with both their albums ‘Love is Here’ and ‘Silence Is Easy’ during the 2000s, and they continue to flourish having released six albums overall.

Having just finished a tour with his band alongside several solo shows, longtime fans celebrated their 25th anniversary, highlighting both the frontman’s lyrical skill and incredible sounding voice. This month, James Walsh is set to release his 6th album since 2012, which is fully acoustic- a sound that foregrounds his rich and emotive voice. The record- which is completely written, produced and performed by Walsh in his home studio shows just how incredible an artist he is. This album draws the listener in as the warm melodies and soft lyrics make it an easy listen, with a timeless quality that lets the song writing breathe.

The album explores familiar and relatable emotions such as personal growth, relationships and memory. His single ‘I can’t stop myself from loving you’ pairs James’ heartfelt vulnerability with peaceful lyrics. This song has a catchy feel and may get stuck in your head in the best way. As I saw James Walsh in November, he played this song to a live audience. Everyone was silent, admiring the acoustic sound of the song, which matching his voice beautifully. It is not hard to see his love for music alongside his passion to create something to peaceful and vulnerable. 

The album opens with ‘AT THE END OF EVERYTHING’, which is essence captures James’ unique voice accompanied by a delicate sounding piano sets the tone for the acoustic album, exploring emotional depth. Although this shares a similar sound to his past work both solo and in Starsailor , this album takes James’ skills to a new level, with a peaceful and enlightening feel. Songs such as BROKEN DAYS and SHADOWS show how this album isn’t just a list of songs with meaningless lyrics. These songs almost talk to you personally, with a reflective essence that capture raw emotion. 

Not only this, but this album also comes with a relatable feel, but the lyrics manage to capture real life emotions, which Walsh encapsulates these feelings perfectly within the 11 songs within the album. It becomes clear quickly the emotional depth that has gone into this album, each song telling a beautifully crafted story in under three minutes in every song. When listening to the songs, you are made to take in the lyrics which reveal a deep and personal degree, giving the album a very vulnerable feel. 

I am sure that almost everyone can relate to at least one of the songs. This album is brilliantly executed. From the first track AT THE END OF EVERYTHING until the final song FIREFLY MOMENTS, the album remains completely stripped back, highlighting the vocals and lyrics, giving each song a unique but powerful essence. Even though every song is acoustic, they all give completely different messages, ones that speak to the listener directly. It is obvious that a great amount of effort and time has been spent on each song, making it an incredible album.