The ten-song album, which boasts material penned for the aborning musical of the same name, features Sheik and guest vocalist and keyboardist Holly Brooke.
Sheik collaborated with Kyle Jarrow, who provides book and lyrics for the ghostly New England-set musical Whisper House.
According to press notes, "Structured as a melodrama, each of the ten songs on the album weave together to tell the story of a child's grief and spinster's longing as seen through the eyes of the ghosts that haunt the remote, World War II-era Maine lighthouse where they live."
Songs on "Whisper House" include:
"Better to Be Dead"
"We're Here to Tell You"
"And Now We Sing"
"The Tale of Solomon Snell"
"Earthbound Starlight"
"Play Your Part"
"You've Really Gone and Done It Now"
"How It Feels"
"I Don't Believe in You"
"Take A Bow" Sheik said of his personal inspiration for the story: "Charleston has this history of ghost stories, a Southern tradition that I kind of grew up with. I reconnected with it in some way and used that to write the lyrics to these songs. Having this narrative was so much more rich and vital, and it was so much more fun to write from the persona of these ghosts, these dead people, and the whimsical malevolence I could articulate through their voices. That felt really good and was very inspiring."
Sheik's forthcoming tour dates include Louisville, KY (Feb. 9); Austin, TX (Feb. 11); Fort Worth, TX (Feb. 12-13); McKinney, TX (Feb. 14); Mesa, AZ (Feb. 17); San Diego, CA (Feb. 18); Los Angeles, CA (Feb. 19); Santa Cruz, CA (Feb. 20); San Francisco, CA (Feb. 21); Brandon, OR (Feb. 25); Portland, OR (Feb. 26); Seattle, WA (Feb. 27); Tacoma, WA (Feb. 28); Cedar Rapids, IA (March 3); Minneapolis, MN (March 4); Madison, WI (March 5); Chicago, IL (March 6); Columbus, OH (March 7); Ann Arbor, MI (March 8); Londonderry, NH (March 11); Portland, ME (March 12); Boston, MA (March 13); Glenside, PA (March 14) and New York City (March 15). Sheik will be joined on tour by original Spring Awakening star Lauren Pritchard.
Sheik will also perform selections from "Whisper House" at Lincoln Triangle Barnes and Noble Jan. 30 at 6 PM.
Sheik, who earned Tony Awards for his score and orchestrations on Spring Awakening, is also at work on the musicals The Nightingale and Nero with Tony-winning Spring Awakening collaborator Steven Sater. His albums include "Duncan Sheik," "Humming," "Phantom Moon," "Daylight" and "White Limousine."
