William Hayden and his soft, acoustic rock/pop/country-ish ensemble Timeseven presents “When You’re Home,” a paradoxically subtle, subdued, but powerful, crystal clear piece of hopeful/lamenting music. What makes “When You’re Home” another slow-building masterpiece from Hayden and his assembled industry-seasoned artists? Let’s talk about it.
Wait. Who does what?
Words and Music, Arrangement, Production, Acoustic and Electric Guitars – William Hayden (Timeseven Productions)
Lead Vocal – Brad Williams (a major label country music artist)
Drums – Daniel Sadownick (Steely Dan, Taylor Swift, Norah Jones)
Bass – Alison Prestwood (Blake Shelton, Faith Hill, Brooks and Dunn)
Keyboards and Guitar – Noah Needleman (Brett Young, Dann Huff)
Mixing and Mastering – 10 x Grammy-winning mix engineer, Darrell Thorp (Paul McCartney, Radiohead, Beck)
And what’s it about?
According to Hayden, “Sometimes home isn’t a place, it’s a person. With that person, you can be your authentic self and be completely loved and accepted for who you are. Sometimes, when you’re far from home, you lose yourself. This song is about home, love, loss, rediscovery, and reconciliation.”
Talking about it…
It starts with quiet acoustic guitar, and Brad Williams’ gorgeous, emotively quivering voice; it’s a mixture of resignation, defeat, and a longing for what was (which could be sadly irrecoverable), but with an undercurrent of tenacity. Of spiritual resolve.
Strings enter, an unobtrusive drum beat begins, and Williams’ voice gains power. A clean electric guitar adds its bending, sparking accents, and the drums evolve to a more grounding, forward-pushing force.
And after a brief respite, at about 4:15, the song’s final lament – its final decree – begins: a refrain of “I’ll be here…waiting.” And this final, evidently assertive section achieves a controlled liftoff through more desperately strummed electric guitar and a slightly busier, more pronounced beat. It’s a section that gets to the heart of things, literally – it acknowledges the obstacles and prolonged struggle, but ultimately decides – through pain, uncertainty, and the unknown time one may have to endure both – to hang the heck in there. Because it’s worth it. Or, because it could be again.
But…. is it good?
Well, I’m wiping the tears off my keyboard, so I would DEFINITELY consider this good. I would also add the words “moving” and “stirs up the places where old feelings hibernate.” Yeah, it’s a little heartrending, but an absolutely beautiful way to come back to everything you were before – which is the template for what you’re really supposed to be. Recommended.
BELOW: Listen to Timeseven and check them out on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, and Apple Music. Please support Timeseven by visiting their website and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing their music. And, as always, thank you for supporting real music.
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When You’re Home Premieres on 3/29/2024