Talented musicians make their craft look ridiculously easy. And after listening to Passenger’s sixth studio album, Whispers, anyone would feel like they can grab a guitar and begin a swooning love ballad that captures the essence of youth.
Of course, if you do so, you’ll soon realise how much time, effort and talent has gone into Whispers. Despite being a mainstream success, reaching into the top five of the Billboard chart in February this year, Passenger has managed to keep a very pre-success sound. There’s an excitement of things to come, best experienced with album opener Coins In A Fountain and later Thunder. An electricity fills the air and Michael Rosenburg’s voice can barely hold back from breaking with anticipation. The flip side of this excitement is also captured beautifully, with 27 and Rolling Stone exploring that frustration at the need for patience.
Passenger’s subdued vocals throughout the album accentuate his Brighton accent, and add an aged calm that belies the album’s youthful tones. This is a record which personifies the exuberance and vision of someone in their prime, on the cusp of great things, while showing the patient skill and focus of craft typically found in much older musicians.
Combined, they become something magical, a sound that few can replicate.
BY DANIEL PRIOR
Best Track: Thunder
If You Like These, You’ll Love This: PJ HARVEY, NIC CASSEY, JOSE GONZALES
In A Word: Youthful
