Mike Rosenberg (aka Passenger) has a lot of things going for him; a hit number one single, a distinguishable tone of voice, an ability to write songs, glorious elf-like ears and not to forget that cracking beard. But one of his best assets is perhaps his knowledge of how social media works. Anyone who is subscribed to him on YouTube will know that he is consistently giving his fans gorgeous live acoustic versions of his songs, including ones that he hasn’t even released yet! Millions of video hits later and tracks including ‘Heart’s On Fire’ and ‘Golden Leaves’ have finally officially been released on his latest album ‘Whispers’. After hearing the title track of this album back in March I was hooked and knew I wanted this album as soon as possible in physical form….my mum was aware of this too and pre-ordered it for me! Now, you may be thinking that from all of his early releasing on the internet surely there would be no surprises left for this album. You would be wrong. If you are a fan of the aesthetically appealing I strongly urge you not just to download but to order the physical copy of this album. It is stunning. It takes the form of an old book complete with gorgeous illustrations, song lyrics and a page that pops up into a tree (see below). Childhood nostalgia galore- it even SMELLS good. And as for the music? This collection of songs is just as gorgeous. If you’re a fan of acoustic guitars and harmonicas this is the album for you. The best track to listen out for is ‘Scare Away the Dark’ which works as a powerful anthem of how to live your life. If I had to use one word to sum up this album it would be quite simply: charming.
~ Michelle Archer