Review of Rumer's Album

Slow – The beautiful debut single from Rumer
By John Williams From here.


The hotly tipped female singer/songwriter, Rumer, releases her debut single on Atlantic Records on August 23rd, the track is called Slow and is taken from her forthcoming album.

Driven by a stop-what-you’re-doing voice, ‘Slow’ is a smouldering, unrequited love song, and a tantalising taste of her self-penned debut album (due in the autumn). She will announce details of her first live dates shortly, having played beguiling sets at the likes of Glastonbury Festival and Hard Rock Calling.

An authentic and emotional songwriter, Rumer’s non-traditional musical upbringing has shaped her classic yet contemporary sound. She was born and spent the very early years of her life in Pakistan (her father was the chief-engineer of the enormous Tarbela Dam). The youngest of seven children, living in an expat colony without TV or newspapers, Rumer and her family would often sing and write songs together.

It is this folk tradition that she brought with her when the family relocated from this “otherworldly landscape” to the New Forest. There, she first saw – and became captivated by – the technicolour movie musical. “Ever since,” she recalls, “I’ve always looked for that lilting, romantic melody. I basically wanted to write the soundtrack for Hedy Lamaar walking down that spiral staircase.”

Rumer was found by her manager, when he posted a question not at all related to music on his Facebook page: “Who Is The Most Underrated Person You Know?” Five separate people, none of whom knew each other, replied with the word ‘Rumer’. Finally, in March 2010 – and after a decade of trying to catch a break – Rumer finally signed to Atlantic Records.

Rumer’s debut album is a beautiful, autobiographical yet brilliantly universal record. ‘Slow’ is just a glimpse into an array of timeless, quality pop songs: see the soaring ‘Am I Forgiven?’, the ache of ‘Healer’, and the fragile beauty of ‘Aretha’. And if you require any more validation of the talent on show, you could do worse than ask Burt Bacharach, who heard of Rumer through the grapevine, and was so won over that he flew her to California and asked her to write with him. “I cried with joy when I found out,” she says. “If Burt Bacharach says you’re good, you have to start believing it too.”