Rumer launches Boys Don’t Cry
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Radio 2’s Bob Harris welcomed Rumer to the stage of what he referred to as the “Hammersmith Working Men’s Club” in west London last night, as the soulful singer, whose Seasons of My Soul was a sensation on release in 2010, launched her latest album Boys Don’t Cry in the 18th century building in front of a large turn out of fans and the music press.
It’s an album of 1970s-related covers, mostly songs by well known artists who reached their peak in that decade – but not always their best known songs.
Rumer was accompanied by her new band of Bob Knight on drums, Jay Cox bass, Rob Taggart keyboards, Al Cherry guitar (well known for his work with jazz singer Gwyneth Herbert), Mark Cox also on guitar, Jim Knight brass, backing vocalists Annabel Williams, Ladonna and Bobbie Gordon, jazzer Martin Shaw trumpet, plus the strings of Polly Wiltshire, Rhian Porter, Cat Parker and Ellie Stanford.
Kicking off joyously and visibly comfortable on Jimmy Webb’s ‘PF Sloan’, the clear standout track from the album on a first listen, Isaac Hayes' ’Soulsville’ went down well later as did Hall and Oates’ ‘Sara Smile’. Rumer said she is appearing as a guest with Daryl Hall in July at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, and the interpretation had a sunshine about it. Her signature song ‘Slow’ from the first album brought the set to a close.
– Stephen Graham