Muse Chronicle

Lauren Passarelli isn’t just another singer-songwriter with a guitar and a laptop. She’s a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer, producer, music professor at Berklee College of Music, and an author who handles every aspect of her craft with genuine expertise. Passarelli writes, performs, arranges, produces, records, and mixes everything herself, creating what she calls “sound paintings” that feel universally familiar to the listeners.

These twelve tracks from “Big Blue Machine” feel like discovering a lost classic or an underrated gem from the golden age of pop and rock.

Across twelve tracks of “Big Blue Machine,” Passarelli brings together influences from The Beatles, James Taylor, and Fleetwood Mac without ever sounding like a cover band or tribute act. The production quality is front and center here, and that attention to detail pays off throughout. You can hear the room, feel the air around the instruments, and sense the careful attention paid to each song of the album. These aren’t abstract exercises in style. These songs come from real places. Passarelli doesn’t get lost in the literary gymnastics, and she opens up about things that actually matter.

The album showcases Passarelli’s remarkable range as both writer and performer. The songs tackle love, loss, creativity, and connection with the kind of straightforward sincerity that takes real courage. The album’s diversity keeps you engaged throughout. There’s even a banjo-driven piece (a personal favourite) that somehow fits perfectly within the album’s broader vision. Passarelli understands that great production serves the music, not the other way around. This album has a willingness to be messy in the best way. Life isn’t neat, and neither are these songs. Grief isn’t linear, creativity doesn’t follow schedules, and love doesn’t always make sense. Passarelli captures all of that in this excellent album.

“Big Blue Machine” succeeds because it remembers something many modern albums forget: songs should take you somewhere, and these twelve tracks transport you completely. Passarelli has been honing her talents for years and has finally all the pieces in place. A reminder that great albums are more than just collections of singles.

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