Album Review: Passenger's Runaway

Passenger may have recorded Runaway in the UK and Australia, but its roots are firmly in America. The English troubadour’s tenth album in 11 years, is a “concept record” – essentially a sonic love letter to the land of Uncle Sam, full of widescreen romance and bluegrass-flecked melodies. While there are no tunes to rival the Ivor Novello-nominated ‘Let Her Go’, there’s enough heart-on-sleeve emotions to ensure that Mike Rosenberg’s transition from folk to country is a smooth one.
A banjo-driven, wistful effort filled with stirring strings and cinematic dynamics, ‘Hell Or High Water’ opens proceedings strongly. ‘Why Can’t I Change’ continues the country feel thanks to some Fleetwood Mac-esque hooks and lapsteel guitars, while ‘He Leaves You Cold’ and ‘Let’s Go’ successfully experiment with Bob Dylan-style phrasing. The pick of the bunch, though, is the title track, on which the brass provides a welcome spaghetti western flavour. Granted, Runaway is a little front-loaded, but the road trip soundtrack vibe makes for a fun detour for the prolific songwriter.

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