It may have started from a whisper but this release is so damn good I want to shout about it from the rooftop! It has been a long while since my last review so I wanted to start off with something special and something great. Check, check. This is both of those things. I don’t know a lot about Shippee but what I do know is that he is an artist from Northern Minnesota and music is only a part time endeavor. Other than that, I know very little so that is a good opportunity to just focus on the music.
It All Started From A Whisper is a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll. Roots rock, if you want to get technical. From the very first note of the very first song, the music really follows that early rock and roll path. Just listen to You And Me and take it all in. The intro is pure early rock and rockabilly, somewhat reminiscent of Lay Down Sally. But it quickly veers off into another very unpredictable and quite original direction. Just a beautifully composed piece of music with solid lyrical content and gorgeous hollow body lead electric guitar fills. The very first words of the song just happen to be the album title, It All Started With A Whisper. A perfect and very prophetic way to commence. Even though a whisper is where it starts, it doesn’t end there. In fact it gets quite boisterous.
There is some variety as well, as the entire album is not all up-tempo roots rock ditties. Shippee mixes up the song selection expertly between the up-tempo and the slower ballads. There is something for everyone’s tastes. The one thing that astounds me the most is how well the songs are crafted. From the writing, vocals, instrumentation, and production, everything is well balanced and rock solid. Take a listen to tracks like Jolene, World Today, Song In A Letter, Hello Dallas, and Garden Of Love, and it’s easy to envision these songs being played over the airwaves of 50,000 watt mega station.
As we move away from the speedier numbers and devote our attention to the ballads, there is one that I would like to focus on individually. Where Have You Been is a very poignant song about a young man singing to his father who hasn’t been in his life for quite some time. There are memories of the good times:
“Do you remember when, we paddled through the pines Swimming in a dream, watching eagles fly……….You introduced me to Houses of the Holy And always had my back, when I needed you around”
And the bad times:
“Where have you been, between now and then And why has it been so long Where have you been, between now and then And why has it been so long I hope this doesn’t mean…. So long”
As I previously mentioned, there is a song for any taste. Those who gravitate toward something a little more introspective and less frenetic will enjoy September, To Not Feel Love, Watching Daisies Grow, Ave Lee, and Moonlight.
This is such a great release that I have been listening to this not just for review purposes, but also for pleasure. Maybe it was me or maybe it was COVID but the music stopped inspiring me for a while. Well those days are in the past thanks to Shippee and It All Started From A Whisper.
Listen and buy It All Started From A Whisper