Rumer - The Magic of Sarah Joyce

Styles: Vocal, Jazz Soul
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:27
Size: 166,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:52)  1. John Sebastian's Girl
(3:16)  2. Aretha
(3:36)  3. Welcome Back
(3:36)  4. Slow
(3:45)  5. Mondo Blu
(3:28)  6. Be Nice To Me
(3:57)  7. Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
(3:50)  8. Tokyo Ladyboy
(3:14)  9. Photographs
(4:02) 10. Scarlett
(3:57) 11. Dangerous
(3:15) 12. Are You There (With Another Girl)
(4:18) 13. The Look Of Love
(3:19) 14. Walk On By
(3:47) 15. Take Me As I Am
(2:49) 16. Come To Me High
(3:28) 17. Am I Forgiven
(3:20) 18. Saving Grace
(3:21) 19. Travelin' Boy
(4:13) 20. Baby Come Back To Bed

Heavily influenced by Burt Bacharach and blessed with effortless, velvety smooth vocals, Anglo-Pakistani singer/songwriter Rumer harks back to the early-'70s easy listening sounds of Karen Carpenter and Carole King. Born in 1979 to British parents living in Islamabad, Rumer (real name Sarah Joyce) was the youngest of seven children, and spent her early years living in an expat community. Encouraged to make their own entertainment, she began writing songs with her brothers and sisters, and after moving to the U.K., developed a huge passion for musicals and, in particular, Judy Garland. After a stint at art college, she formed the short-lived indie folk band La Honda in 2000, but after the band split, she was forced to take on several odd jobs that included fixing iPods, teaching, and selling advertising space. Having moved to London to pursue her dreams of a solo career, she adopted a stage name inspired by the author Rumer Godden, and began performing in various clubs. At an open-mike night, she caught the eye of TV music composer Steve Brown, the house bandleader in Alan Partridge's Knowing Me, Knowing You, and the pair began work on her debut album. In 2010, she signed to Atlantic Records, supported Joshua Radin on his U.K. tour, and was personally invited by Burt Bacharach to sing for him at his California home. Her first single, "Slow," became one of the most requested tracks on Radio 2, and reached number 16 in the U.K. charts. The full-length album Seasons of My Soul was released in November of that same year. In 2011, she was nominated for several Brit Awards, and won a U.K. Asian Music Award for Best Alternative Act. She also recorded a song for the soundtrack to the film Johnny English Reborn. n 2012, Rumer released her sophomore effort, the covers album Boys Don't Cry. Much like the '60s soft rock vibe of Seasons of My Soul, Boys Don't Cry featured Rumer's unique take on tunes by such artists as Isaac Hayes, Clifford T. Ward, Todd Rundgren, Townes Van Zandt, and others. In 2014, she returned with her third studio album, Into Colour, which featured production from Rob Shirakbari, a longtime associate of Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach. Following the release of the album, Rumer relocated to Shirakbari's home state of Arkansas, where the couple were married in 2015. In 2016, Rumer returned with her fourth studio album, This Girl's in Love. Once again produced by Shirakbari, the album saw Rumer paying homage to Burt Bacharach and Hal David with reworkings of songs from their esteemed back catalog. ~ Jon O’Brien http://www.allmusic.com/artist/rumer-mn0002534134/biography

The Magic of Sarah Joyce

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Rumer - B Sides & Rarities

Styles: Vocal, Jazz Soul
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:12
Size: 138,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:56)  1. Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
(4:07)  2. Dangerous (Bossa Nova)
(4:28)  3. Sailing
(3:24)  4. Hasbrook Heights (with Dionne Warwick)
(3:13)  5. Come Saturday Morning
(3:20)  6. It Might Be You (theme from Tootsie)
(2:33)  7. Moon River (live on BBC Radio 2)
(3:49)  8. Separate Lives (with Stephen Bishop)
(3:21)  9. The Warmth of the Sun
(2:53) 10. Alfie
(3:12) 11. Long Long Day
(3:33) 12. Soul Rebel
(3:49) 13. Here Comes the Sun
(2:41) 14. Marie
(5:29) 15. Frederick Douglas
(3:12) 16. That's All (with Michael Feinstein live on NPR)
(3:05) 17. I Believe in You (theme from Johnny English)

Already sounding of the era, it’s only fitting that Rumer’s B-Sides & Rarities is made up largely of ‘60s and ‘70s soft rock and singer-songwriter staples. Her crystalline, impeccably precise vocals are perfectly suited to the slick arrangements and performances associated with this particular era and style of pop music. And since so many of these songs were and are lovely to begin with, if not necessarily critically revered, her loving renditions simply serve to reaffirm their overall pleasantness. Her take on Christopher Cross’ “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” deviates little from the original, remaining close in both form and arrangement with Rumer sounding as ever like a slightly more assured Karen Carpenter. Giving the song an even smoother (if that’s possible) take, Rumer’s voice is better suited to the material than Cross’ in that hers is a voice in possession of a certain level of weightless effortlessness that feels unhurried, unforced and completely natural. It’s an immensely pleasing and calming voice that manages to toe the line between beauty and pastiche.

Similarly, “Sailing” is slowed even more than the original, given a balladic reading that manages to sound just that much more profound than Cross’ somewhat silly lyrics and delivery would have most believe. Given the level of ironic detachment and loosely- defined enjoyment afforded these so-called “yacht rock” songs over the last decade or so, it’s refreshing to hear someone approach the material with a sort of wide-eyed wonder and earnestness that carries not a trace of irony. Rather than using the songs as the basis for humorous interpretation, Rumer approaches these songs as someone who feels them deeply and wishes to do them justice. In this approach, she’s far more successful, imbuing her performance with a level of reverence not generally afforded such ephemeral pop fluff. It’s a refreshing take that allows these songs to be heard again for the first time.

Taking on a pair of Bacharach/David compositions in “Hasbrook Heights” and “Alfie”, she proves herself a deft interpreter, capable of a level of subtle nuance in her phrasing that would no doubt make the composer proud. Notoriously tricky arrangements and atypical in structure, Bacharach/David compositions have long been a favorite of many artists, but rarely are as successful as they are here. “Alfie” in particular, with its melodic jumps that tend to trip up lesser performers, is delivered with the same pleasant effortlessness as nearly everything else on the album. While much of the material itself can be somewhat hard to take seriously (especially “It Might Be You (Theme From Tootsie)”), the casually reverent way in which she approaches these songs makes it hard to adopt an even remotely jaded stance. Rather there’s such a genuine affection inherent in her performances that it’s clear this is the era of pop music in which she finds herself most comfortable. It’s little wonder then that these songs could just as easily have slotted into her most recent collection of original material. In the hands of a lesser interpreter, it would be nearly impossible for these songs not to border on the parodic.

While many of these songs have been done nearly to death (does the world really need another version of “Moon River” or “Here Comes the Sun”? Turns out it does), Rumer manages to inject enough of herself into fairly tame arrangements to make them worth checking out. With a voice as pure as hers, it’s extremely difficult to find much in the way of fault. Her reading of Randy Newman’s “Marie” in particular is nothing short of heartbreaking. The collection is not without its flaws, however. “Separate Lives”, a live duet with Stephen Bishop, sounds more like a contemporary Christian anthem than a soft pop classic. While their voices manage a relatively pleasant pairing, much like Karen Carpenter, her voice is best served solo or in tandem with itself (see her unlikely take on Bob Marley’s “Soul Rebel”). Wisely, the only other pairing on the album, a lovely rendition of “That’s All”, finds Rumer accompanied only by Michael Feinstein on piano.By no means essential, B-Sides & Rarities is a fine stopgap release for those already enamored of Rumer’s previous releases. Fans of soft pop/rock, singer-songwriters and musicians who place greater focus on subtlety and nuance in their performances will find much to like here. http://www.popmatters.com/review/193582-rumer-b-sides-rarities/

B Sides & Rarities

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Rumer - Boys Don't Cry

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:35
Size: 95.2 MB
Styles: Pop-rock, Adult Alternative
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[4:08] 1. P.F. Sloan
[3:18] 2. Travelin' Boy
[3:29] 3. Sara Smile
[3:25] 4. Be Nice To Me
[2:46] 5. The Same Old Tears On A New Background
[3:44] 6. Soulsville
[3:32] 7. Welcome Back
[4:02] 8. Flyin' Shoes
[2:37] 9. Just For A Moment
[2:24] 10. It Could Be The First Day
[4:07] 11. Brave Awakening
[3:58] 12. A Man Needs A Maid

Rumer's sophomore effort, 2012's Boys Don't Cry, is a retro soft rock covers album that finds the vocalist tackling tracks by various male artists of the 1970s. As with her acclaimed 2010 debut, Seasons of My Soul, Boys Don't Cry showcases Rumer's gentle and sweetly soulful vocal style that is clearly perfectly suited to this material. In fact, for anyone already familiar with her, it almost goes without saying that Rumer sounds a lot like soft pop icon Karen Carpenter. However, rather than coming off as a copycat, Rumer always sounds like the real thing and seems like she has genuine respect and love for Carpenter and the rest of the soft singer/songwriter titans. She nailed Bread's "Goodbye Girl" on Seasons for gosh sakes, and Boys Don't Cry takes its cue from that cover and not the original material written in a retro style that made up most of Seasons. Here we get Rumer's take on such laid-back cuts as Jimmy Webb's "P.F. Sloan," Todd Rundgren's "Be Nice to Me," and Hall & Oates' "Sara Smile," among others. Adding to the '70s soft rock vibe is the lush orchestral production from Steve Brown, who was also responsible for the sound of Seasons. These are organic and rich-sounding tracks that frame Rumer's voice in sparkling piano, cinematic bits of strings, rounded horn parts, the twang of the occasional pedal steel guitar, and even a poignant harmonica line, as on Townes Van Zandt's "Flyin' Shoes." Kudos to Rumer for not just covering the most well-known cuts from the best-known '70s artists, but also including such lesser-known numbers as Clifford T. Ward's "Home Thoughts from Abroad" and Terry Reid's "Brave Awakening." ~Matt Collar

Boys Don't Cry

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Jools Holland - Sirens Of Song

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:29
Size: 108.7 MB
Styles: Big band, Vocal jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[2:52] 1. Jumpin' In The Morning
[4:19] 2. Letting Me Down (With Joss Stone)
[3:05] 3. Love Me Or Leave Me (With Evie Sands)
[3:50] 4. A Vow (with Louise Marshall)
[2:45] 5. Monkey Man (With Amy Winehouse)
[3:26] 6. Should I Stay Or Should I Go
[3:32] 7. Sweet Bitter Love (With Mabel Ray)
[3:40] 8. See-Line Woman (With Laura Mvula)
[2:37] 9. Lost Mind (With Rumer)
[2:42] 10. Top To Bottom Boogie (With Imelda May)
[3:05] 11. Night And Day (With KT Tunstall)
[4:21] 12. I Wish
[3:54] 13. I Still Went Wrong
[3:17] 14. Ain't Misbehavin'

Jools Holland is back with an elite gathering of world-class female artists, with big band support from his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra. Sirens Of Song highlights Jools' talent for amazing collaborations and features duets with some of the most iconic female voices in contemporary and classic music. Jools Holland said: "It's a privilege and honour to celebrate and bring together, for the first time ever, some of the greatest female vocalists and writers of our time on this new record.

"I'm so grateful to have had the support of these incredibly gifted women in music who bring that magical female perspective to every track... Collaborating and working with this diverse and dazzling array of talent, who hail from all sorts of genres spanning from today and back to the jazz age, has been an inspiration and something rather special... Enjoy."

Sirens Of Song is a true showcase in musicianship and combines an array of wonderful performers with Jools' talent and big band support from his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra. The 14-track album features a
selection of originals and reworked classics.

Sirens Of Song

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