Kingdom Of Mine. Timo de Jong

Although Kingdom Of Mine was released in the spring of last year, I am saving a spot for it today, as tomorrow Timo de Jong is performing in our living room. We met Timo last year when he supported Hackensaw Boys in Haarlem's Patronaat. Together they made for a great live experience.

After the show he told us that it took him years to hone his voice, to become the nice, deep country voice he has today. It certainly is a major attraction while listening to Timo de Jong's album. On stage he manages to give the listeners the impression the venue is far smaller than it actually is. He converses with you as if at home.

Kingdom of Mine is an album that came about for a very specific reason. De Jong was asked to do a church tour in the countryside of Friesland. He visited each of the eight churches involved to get inspired by the places and to get inspiration from the stories told to him about the church. This led to the eight songs on Kingdom of Mine. The tour took place in April 2024, so a while behind him already.

The album is still worthwhile getting to know though. The basis is Timo de Jong's voice and acoustic guitar. From there a lot of things can happen, even a song with electric guitars, 'Ring Them Bells'. Yes, he can even sing deeper, but also surprise. Due to the rhythm, the instruments used but also because this is a fun song, a  little naughty even.  In every song instruments are added that make the album varied and the songs unpredictable. You can hear that for yourself when you take a listen.

Photo: Lennard Fopma

As said, Kingdom of Mine is a varied album. Country or Americana may be the genre of choice, nearly every song has another vantage point within that genre. There is a ballad, the traditional country and roots song, a more pop oriented song and even the modestly rocking 'Ring Them Bells'. In all the songs Timo de Jong's voice excels. It is the choice of instruments that adorn the songs that make the whole album a very pleasant listening experience. I am not going to go into examples, as I want you to discover the richness of the songs yourself. Let me suffice with the comment that a few times I was truly surprised by what I was hearing. There's more than you may expect from an Americana album.

Only a one day left to go before Timo de Jong is playing in our home. Something to really look forward to.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght