For a while in late 2013 you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing Passenger’s massive Let Her Go. That being said, most people would struggle to name anything else by him. So the question is, “is he a one-hit wonder?” and the answer is, quite simply, no. There is so much more to this singer-songwriter than that melancholic break up song would have you imagine. Aside from the fact that Passenger has gained relative success, he continues to busk in whatever city he plays a show. Something that is ridiculously sweet and shows his gratitude.

‘Whispers’ as a soulful blend of pop-folk suggests that despite everyone’s rush to compare him to other singer-songwriters, Passenger has something truly unique. Furthermore, he shows a true talent of story telling, with each of his songs having witty and sometimes comical lyrics. For example, 27 shows a slightly more cheeky and cynical side to the man, as he spits witty lyrics that tell the story of his life and experiences in the music world so far.

Scare Away The Dark is definitely a stand out song, that shows his irritation about the state of modern culture with regards to mediums such as Youtube and Twitter. Aside from being a melodic, up-tempo song, lyrically it is also one of the most entertaining and bold songs on the album that shows a slightly different side to the artist.

His voice is soothing but the album as a whole is relatively upbeat, this mix between a relaxing voice and an up-beat melody keeps the entire album interesting. That being said, songs like Hearts on Fire still offer a more quiet, slow option. One thing that singer-songwriters are sometimes accused of is having a sound that is too ‘same-y’, which can get boring. Passenger/Mike Rosenberg can definitely not be accused of such. The album has a great flow while still varying in sound, tempo and theme.

All in all ‘Whispers’ is an incredibly impressive and enjoyable piece of work. The fifth album from Passenger shows his talent, and it’s brilliant to see that he’s finally getting the recognition he so deserves. It displays the characteristics of a traditional singer-songwriter album with a modern, relevant and intelligent twist.