Young as the Morning, Old as the Sea Album Review

Release date: 23rd September 2016 (UK)

Published by Nettwerk and Black Crow

“Young as the Morning, Old as the Sea”, the latest album from English artist Passenger continues the singer’s trend of simple, classical tunes.

Michael Rosenberg struck out on a solo career in 2009, keeping the name of his previous band; but it was “All the Little Lights” in 2013, specifically the wildly popular “Let her go” that stamped him onto the music scene. “Young as the Morning, Old as the Sea” doesn’t stray far from this tone which gives fans of the singer a perfectly serviceable offering.

The overall tone and theme of the album is very humble and reflective, moving away from the chirpy guitar riffs of All the Little Lights in favour of slower, methodical tracks; the music videos also reflect this, taking place in the midst of beautiful, solitary landscapes from the UK all the way to New Zealand. A sense of yearning for journeying and the need calm reflection is also a key focal point. YATMOATS has a widespread implementation of string instruments which compliment Passenger’s acoustic foundation very well but these hang over most of the album, resulting in a composition that feels quite samey. Often the songs alternate between acoustic and string leads with the one exception being “Anywhere”, a cheerful folk track about traveling to far off places. The vocals are also suitably subdued, again keeping in line with Passenger’s previous works. One of the more soothing pieces; a collaboration with Birdy on the aptly titled “Beautiful Birds” connects the two artists brilliantly. To close out the album, a tender piano slides into “Home” which also manages to add an additional dimension to an otherwise standard track list. Of all the tracks on the record though; “Somebody’s Love” is definitely the most heart-warming piece to listen to with a sonnet like mannerism to it.

The seventh major release from Passenger is a fairly safe album which relies on a main formula without much in the way of deviation. Many of the songs do blend together which holds it back from being as varied and listenable as previous releases. It could have used a better balance between subdued and lively tones to create a stronger package overall.

Rating: C