Whisper House
| Whisper House | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 27, 2009 (U.S.) | |||
| Studio |
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| Length | 41:59 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor (U.S.; CD) | |||
| Producer | Duncan Sheik | |||
| Duncan Sheik chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Whisper House | ||||
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| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (71/100)[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The A.V. Club | B+[3] |
| Paste | (7.9/10)[4] |
| PopMatters | [5] |
Whisper House is the sixth studio album and second musical by American singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik. It was released on RCA Victor in 2009.
Details
[edit]The album, Sheik's first in the wake of success from composing music for the Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening, contains selections from an original stage musical of the same name, with book and additional lyrics by Kyle Jarrow.[6] The world premiere of the musical occurred January 13, 2010, at San Diego, California's Old Globe Theatre.[7] Directed by Peter Askin, the cast included Arthur Acuna, Holly Brook, Kevin Hoffman, Ted Koch, David Poe, Mare Winningham, and Eric Brent Zutty.[8] Sheik cited influences from part of his childhood spent around Hilton Head, South Carolina, and recalling its iconic lighthouse and the ghost stories he shared there with friends.[9]
Release
[edit]The album was met with little commercial success, but favorable reviews. Review aggregating website Metacritic reports a normalized score of 71% based on 4 reviews.[1] The album's first single, "Earthbound Starlight", debuted via the "Pop Candy" blog on USAToday.com.[10] On Sheik's official website, streaming audio was made available for the album's first single, as well as its first and second tracks, in advance of the album release.[11]
Track listing
[edit]All songs written by Duncan Sheik, except where noted.
- "Better to Be Dead" - 4:33
- "We're Here to Tell You" - 3:55
- "And Now We Sing" (feat. Holly Brook) - 3:20
- "The Tale of Solomon Snell" - 4:20
- "Earthbound Starlight" - 5:01
- "Play Your Part" (Duncan Sheik, Kyle Jarrow) - 3:34
- "You've Really Gone and Done It Now" (Sheik, Jarrow) - 3:46
- "How It Feels" - 4:36
- "I Don't Believe in You" (Sheik, Jarrow) - 4:28
- "Take A Bow" (Sheik, Jarrow) - 4:33
- "The Ghost In You" (iTunes bonus song) - 5:09
Personnel
[edit]- Duncan Sheik – vocals, keyboards, guitars, bass
- Gerry Leonard – guitars
- Kevin Garcia – drums, percussion
- Nicholas Bucknall – soprano chalumeau, bass clarinet, Bb clarinet, contrabass clarinet
- John Barclay – trumpet, piccolo trumpet
- Richard Watkins – French horn
- Simon Hale – ghostly wind section arrangements and conductor
- Holly Brook – backing vocals, lead vocals (3)
Production
[edit]- Duncan Sheik – producer
- Michael Tudor – engineer, mixing
- Niall Acott – string recording
- Mat Bartram – string recording assistant
- Greg Calbi – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY)
- Mike Hornett – music preparation
- Roxanne Slimak – creative direction
- Klaus Lyngeled – illustrations
- Jerrod Wilkins for Gold Mountain Entertainment – management
- John Frankenheimer for Loeb & Loeb – legal representation
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Whisper House". Metacritic.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Whisper House Review". AllMusic.
- ^ Murray, Noel (February 10, 2009). "Duncan Sheik: Whisper House". The A.V. Club.
- ^ Medina, Jeremy (February 17, 2009). "Duncan Sheik: Whisper House". Paste.
- ^ Heaney, C. T. (January 26, 2009). "Duncan Sheik: Whisper House". PopMatters. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ Hetrick, Adam (January 8, 2009). "Track List Announced for Sheik's 'Whisper House'; Concert Dates Added". Playbill. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ Jones, Kenneth (May 2, 2009). "Old Globe Will Premiere Duncan Sheik's Whisper House and Bricusse's Sammy Davis Jr. Musical". Playbill. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ "Whisper House". www.theoldglobe.org. Archived from the original on January 21, 2010.
- ^ Lyden, Jacki (January 24, 2009). "Duncan Sheik: A Troubadour Turns To Theater". All Things Considered. NPR.
- ^ "Earthbound Starlight" (video), Sony BMG Music, January 20, 2009
- ^ Duncan Sheik official website, accessed January 24, 2009
