Rumer - Boys Don't Cry (26/06/2012)
Rumer has already proven her musical chops with her 2010 debut ‘Seasons Of My Soul’ however releasing a complete covers album for a sophomore effort is an unusual career move.
It could be argued that it was a bridging tool for her to have a bit of space between her first release and her second. If you give ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ your full attention you’ll be well rewarded though, particularly if you like trips down Nostalgia Lane.
The notion of females singing male songs (and vice versa) is not new either, but the interesting tact with this record is that the tracks are not well known and instead of completely new re-interpretations it’s more a case of Rumer injecting her own sound into the songs whilst attempting to keep the integrity of the song intact.
Without being too familiar with the original source material, reviewing this record on face value is a little tricky. Vocally Rumer is very Karen Carpenter or a little like Adele but a lot less gritty and with a lot more honey coating.
Terry Reid’s ‘Brave Awakening’ and Todd Rundgren’s ‘Be Nice To Me’ are almost identical in feel and sound to their originals. The standouts though are Isaac Hayes’ ‘Soulsville’ and Townes Van Zandt’s ‘Flyin’ Shoes’. The former is laden with a classic smooth 70’s doo-wop groove and even though Rumer is far from African-American history in modern day 2012, she carries this song with conviction. While the latter with its harmonica and twanged lap-steel in the mix suggest sad country tones and a desire to escape to somewhere else.
Clifford T Ward’s ‘Home Thoughts From Abroad’ is achingly beautiful with its melancholic “Do I still occupy your mind? Am I being so unkind? Do you find it very lonely or have you found someone to laugh with? Oh and by the way are you laughing now? ‘Cause I’m not, I miss you. I miss you, I really do”.
For the majority of this record it’s a slow paced waltz and tends to remain at that beat. Only opening track ‘P.F. Sloan’ and Hall & Oates’ ‘Sara Smile’ inject a little swiftness and tempo into the record.
The production is clean and snappish, some masterful handiwork by Steve Brown and Jennie Muskett and the instruments are all clearly discernible which give it a very modern folk touch. This is a far cry from the dusty and grainy originals but considering that this is for a new and contemporary audience the crisp resonance makes sense.
All of these elements add up to a competent album for Rumer and despite it not being original material, it’s obvious from the sentiment oozing in her vocals that it was a labour of love. I imagine listeners will be sipping on an afternoon beverage and curling up on a couch as ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ is playing.
Carina Nilma
It could be argued that it was a bridging tool for her to have a bit of space between her first release and her second. If you give ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ your full attention you’ll be well rewarded though, particularly if you like trips down Nostalgia Lane.
The notion of females singing male songs (and vice versa) is not new either, but the interesting tact with this record is that the tracks are not well known and instead of completely new re-interpretations it’s more a case of Rumer injecting her own sound into the songs whilst attempting to keep the integrity of the song intact.
Without being too familiar with the original source material, reviewing this record on face value is a little tricky. Vocally Rumer is very Karen Carpenter or a little like Adele but a lot less gritty and with a lot more honey coating.
Terry Reid’s ‘Brave Awakening’ and Todd Rundgren’s ‘Be Nice To Me’ are almost identical in feel and sound to their originals. The standouts though are Isaac Hayes’ ‘Soulsville’ and Townes Van Zandt’s ‘Flyin’ Shoes’. The former is laden with a classic smooth 70’s doo-wop groove and even though Rumer is far from African-American history in modern day 2012, she carries this song with conviction. While the latter with its harmonica and twanged lap-steel in the mix suggest sad country tones and a desire to escape to somewhere else.
Clifford T Ward’s ‘Home Thoughts From Abroad’ is achingly beautiful with its melancholic “Do I still occupy your mind? Am I being so unkind? Do you find it very lonely or have you found someone to laugh with? Oh and by the way are you laughing now? ‘Cause I’m not, I miss you. I miss you, I really do”.
For the majority of this record it’s a slow paced waltz and tends to remain at that beat. Only opening track ‘P.F. Sloan’ and Hall & Oates’ ‘Sara Smile’ inject a little swiftness and tempo into the record.
The production is clean and snappish, some masterful handiwork by Steve Brown and Jennie Muskett and the instruments are all clearly discernible which give it a very modern folk touch. This is a far cry from the dusty and grainy originals but considering that this is for a new and contemporary audience the crisp resonance makes sense.
All of these elements add up to a competent album for Rumer and despite it not being original material, it’s obvious from the sentiment oozing in her vocals that it was a labour of love. I imagine listeners will be sipping on an afternoon beverage and curling up on a couch as ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ is playing.
Carina Nilma