REVIEW: Dan Rodriguez — Passenger (SINGLE)
“I wanted to be more vulnerable and honest with myself” Dan Rodriguez has said about his newest single “Passenger” and if the sonic playground on this single is any indication, he’s more than succeeded. Produced, performed, and written by Rodriguez who’s planning on releasing a new EP and Album soon, we find him where a lot of us are, at a crossroads. While not a reactionary song to covid (although there is one track specifically about that on his forthcoming release), it’s a song about “what now?” and “how did I end up here?”.
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There’s a real existential quality to it which is refreshing for a song that leans decidedly in a more pop conventional sense, something new for Rodriguez. Rather than lean into pop cliches, however, Rodriguez shows a lot of restraint as the instrumentals are pretty routine, but thanks to the expert composition and fantastic mixing and mastering by Luke Frederickson, the whole thing really shines. I’d like to take a minute real quick and also highlight the fantastic acoustic version of the song that you can find too. I’ve never really been one for acoustic covers since a lot of them sound like glorified demos, but this one is a real showcase for Rodriguez’s immaculate voice that conveys sensitivity and the aforementioned desired vulnerability. Using very common lyrical vernacular evoking feelings of drinking, angels, the devil, fire, and the stars (there’s a lot to unpack) there’s a familiarity to it at first, but the way the song really kicks into high gear within the first 30 seconds is astounding and will catch you completely off guard.
It’s something that’s a little less present in the acoustic one, just by definition of it being, well, acoustic, but on the main version, it really feels like a breath of fresh air with each included dip and reprise of the really stellar chorus where you get to hear Dan work alongside Megan Rodriguez who provides some subtle but effective backing vocals. The brisk pace of this track is also perfect considering that the novelty of a song over 3 minutes in the streaming landscape seems to dwindle more and more with each passing year, and it certainly has an innate listenability. Rodriguez has had a handful of major successes, mainly in the commercial department which makes sense. His songs are relatable, not too flashy, but not worthless and the commercial aspect of tying it alongside something people will see repeatedly helps with the already strong staying power that his songs have.
I highly recommend you go through his back catalog of work including the really stellar 2018 EP “25 Years” to a strong sense of him as an artist in the past since this song is effectively about looking back to hope for the best moving forward. With the upcoming EP you’ll also be able to hear his take on fatherhood, life during Covid, and balancing life as a husband and a musician and I have no doubts those will be as rich a tapestry as this single is.
Colin Jordan
