Jump to content

Whisper House

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Whisper House
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 27, 2009 (U.S.)
LabelRCA Victor
(U.S.; CD)
ProducerDuncan Sheik
Duncan Sheik chronology
White Limousine
(2006)
Whisper House
(2009)
Covers 80s
(2011)
Singles from Whisper House
  1. "We're Here to Tell You"
    Released: 2008
  2. "Earthbound Starlight"
    Released: January 15, 2009
  3. "Play Your Part"
    Released: 2009
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(71/100)[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The A.V. ClubB+[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]
  1. "Better to Be Dead"
  2. "We're Here to Tell You"
  3. "And Now We Sing" (feat. Holly Brook)
  4. "The Tale of Solomon Snell"
  5. "Earthbound Starlight"
  6. "Play Your Part"
  7. "You've Really Gone and Done It Now"
  8. "How It Feels"
  9. "I Don't Believe in You"
  10. "Take A Bow"
  11. "The Ghost In You" (iTunes bonus song)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Whisper House". Metacritic.
  2. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Whisper House Review". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Murray, Noel (February 10, 2009). "Duncan Sheik: Whisper House". The A.V. Club.
  4. ^ Medina, Jeremy (February 17, 2009). "Duncan Sheik: Whisper House". Paste.
  5. ^ Heaney, C. T. (January 26, 2009). "Duncan Sheik: Whisper House". PopMatters. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  6. ^ Hetrick, Adam (January 8, 2009). "Track List Announced for Sheik's 'Whisper House'; Concert Dates Added". Playbill. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Whisper House". www.theoldglobe.org. Archived from the original on 2010-01-21.
  9. ^ Lyden, Jacki (January 24, 2009). "Duncan Sheik: A Troubadour Turns To Theater". All Things Considered. NPR.
  10. ^ "Earthbound Starlight" (video), Sony BMG Music, January 20, 2009
  11. ^ Duncan Sheik official website, accessed January 24, 2009