Although the recently released album ‘Whispers’ is his 5th, Michael David Rosenberg, whom we know as Passenger, appeared to gain our attention when he stormed the charts with hit single ‘Let Her Go’, and album ‘All The Little Lights’, whilst supporting both Jools Holland and Ed Sheeran on his 2012 tour. After such success, fans were ecstatic at Passenger announcing the release of ‘Whispers’ early this year, which was released June 9th 2014. Though I never had any doubts about the greatness of ‘Whispers’, I did wonder when Passenger was exactly fitting working on the album in to his extremely busy schedule. Fans will know that Passenger has a fondness for busking, after gaining such recognition when he took himself over to Australia in 2009 to achieve a solo career. Busking got Passenger where he is today and he’s spent a large amount of time this year taking to streets all over the world, from Manchester to Australia, drawing in massive crowds.
There seems to be a life theme throughout the album, including direction, with ‘27’ appearing to sum up not just the life of a ‘27’ year old, but one that seems to have come to a directional dilemma in their life, with lyrics “don’t know where I’m running”. Though accompanied by serious underpinnings, it’s an extremely catchy track that I can almost imagine being played live at a barn dance, or more realistically, a folk festival. Other upbeat tracks are ‘Scare Away The Dark’, ‘Coins In A Fountain’, which appears to be very Mumford & Sons-esque, the jazzy ‘Thunder’, and ‘Bullets’, where we really appreciate the range of instruments demonstrated for us throughout the album, as a harmonica accompanies the track.
‘Whispers’ is a truly beautiful album, which includes a range of fast and slow paced songs which make us feel almost welcomed in to Passenger’s life. Taking us back to the theme of direction, ‘Rolling Stone’ seems to highlight the sadness of a lack of direction; “sometimes I feel I’m going nowhere, sometimes I feel I never will”, with the title track ‘Whispers’ talking of not knowing how to use a “heart so pure”, followed by “I should know by now”. ‘Whispers’ is a stunning track in which the music fades towards the end, leaving Passenger to finish the last of the lyrics in his husky idyllic voice.
Earlier this year Passenger described ‘Whispers’ to be a cinematic album, full of big stories and big ideas, and he couldn’t have summed it up better. It’s so refreshing to hear an entire album full of such meaningful lyrics. Below is the video to his latest single, ‘Scare Away The Dark’, giving just a taster of what you can have! Passenger tours later this year, and will surely have a set list to make you both dance and cry, as I’m sure he’ll be accompanied by the pure emotion he places so delicately in to each story-filled track.
Click here to order the album/check out the tour dates.
By Laura Dean – @modestlaura
