Teaming up with pianist David O’Brien, Dan Whitehouse offers us a sultry and stripped-back single in ‘Bird of Paradise’. While the title of the track makes you think of bright colours, the single dives into a more late-night and smoky soundscape. As you walk into this soundscape, Whitehouse explores desire, beauty and that space where intimacy starts to feel transactional.
Not a newcomer to the music scene, Whitehouse’s musical trajectory changed around 2016 for a more narrative-driven sound. This change led to some landmark projects, including The Glass Age, which explored digital communication. His work is now officially archived in the Dudley Archive, making it a historical record of the Black Country.
You can feel the late-night vibes of the song from the first piano note. It is like the gentle light of a lamp in the dark night when the world is quiet and you have time to sink into your thoughts. Whitehouse’s vocals are rich and a sigh into the dark night as he explores intimacy and beauty. His voice has this smoky touch to it that slides against your skin like satin and invites you to sink back into it.
Overall, the stripped-back structure of the single enhances the emotions that have been woven into both the vocal performance and the piano line. O’Brien’s performance on the piano is emotive in its own way, as there is a tug on your heartstrings alongside the rise and fall of swelling emotions. Whitehouse’s vocals slide over the melodic line to bring a longing within the chorus that fills your chest with a balloon of emotion, but this is tempered by a touch of sadness as the beauty of loving emotions turns into something that is transactional and almost rote. At times, there is a delicate balance between the emotions being felt, which could easily have tipped in either direction, but the musicality and mastery of the artists keep you suspended in a nebulous space between them.
Whether you have confronted these emotions and the situation yourself or not, the power of this single can’t be denied. The lyrics have a rawness to them that strips you down to the core and is taken to new heights by the vocals. Each note seems to have been carefully crafted to ensure it hits deep in your chest. It is a stunning single that honestly feels like it ends all too soon.
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