Passenger – Birds That Flew and Ships That Sailed
At 36 years old, Mike Rosenberg is still just “trying to make sense of it all,” as he reveals on “Blink of an Eye,” the upbeat centerpiece of his 14th album as Passenger. The song packs the British singer/songwriter’s memoirs into a tidy, triumphant package that covers his early struggles in the music scene and his sudden rise, alluding to his 2012 bittersweet breakup hit ”Let Her Go.” Ten years and 10 albums after that success, Rosenberg threads a lifetime of woes and wisdom through a lush Americana landscape on Birds That Flew and Ships That Sailed. Assisted by longtime producer Chris Vallejo, he weaves a warm, intimate ambiance out of nimble fingerpicking and silky strings that help soften the weight of his deepest reflections, whether he’s regretting love on the wistful folk-pop opener “Bird in Flight” or bringing back a familiar theme—letting go—on the slow-building stunner “Do What’s Right.”