Album Review: Passenger- Songs for the Drunk and Broken Hearted

One of my favorite artists of the new century is Michael Rosenberg doing business as Passenger.

Rosenberg will always be overshadowed by his 2012 smash hit “Let it Go” as much as his friendship with Ed Sheehan.

Making the radio a slightly better place in the 201xs with artists like Vance Joy and George Ezra that made soft rock that played into the Mumford/Lumineers/Ray LeMontagne folk tinged pop trend of the day and drew off a tradition of everyone from Jack Johnson to Jamie Cullum to David Gray

Which is to say, Passenger isn’t very “hip”. But he is talented and for me the truest heir to the 70s songwriting of Cat Stevens and Paul Simon. All the Little Lights besides containing his hit is a complete album- sometimes funny as the closer “I Hate” and as poignant as “Let Her Go”.

I fell in love with that single early, when it looked to be an Adult Alternative hit and watched it bloom to a best seller. I’ve followed him closely since.

I thought 2014’s follow up Whispers was a strong statement -pretty much in the same vein- surely would have made him a hero in the coffee house genre.

Passenger has been prolific since and his quality has suffered with that output (in my eyes, there’s nothing on par with the two previously mentioned albums). With proper albums, streaming and fan-directed output, he’s put out at least one album’s worth of songs each year.

Perhaps the album title Songs for the Drunk and Broken Hearted gives it away. It is also probably cliche but it’s a post break up record, not to mention a ‘Covid’ record. In any case, it’s holds together quite well.

With an ear for melody, the songs are perfect for (some probably nonexistent) alternate Top 40 radio station. For fans, it is probably the best song by song statement he’s ever made.