Rumer at Southbank Centre (Review)

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Rumer - London Jazz Fest

Talk about sounding like the record, British blue-eyed soul artist Rumer gave a knockout performance at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall without breaking a sweat. There are plenty of talented vocalists around, but the field is often weighted towards those with a penchant for firepower and athleticism over effortless understatement. Bar a handful of melismatic touches here and there, there are no vocal histrionics with Rumer – whose voice combines the breathy lustre of Dusty Springfield with the mellow bass of Karen Carpenter. Performing the entirety of her album Seasons of My Soul (2010) – her platinum-certified debut release – Rumer was note-perfect, ably commanding her ensemble, including a string section and flautist. Working her way through the album in order served to remind audiences of the strength of her songwriting, from the Joni Mitchell-esque ‘Slow’, to the country twanged ‘On My Way Home’, and ‘Aretha’, a song about an insecure schoolchild taking comfort in the Queen of Soul’s music. Having concluded her performance of the album, Rumer drew upon her wider catalogue with a run of equally compelling tunes. The slick soul pop of ‘Dangerous’ and a punchy take on ‘Sara Smile’ (originally Hall & Oates) added some welcome muscle and groove to the set.

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