Live from Lafayette

Personnel: Rumer (vocals); Darren Hodson (guitar, background vocals); Barry Wickens (acoustic guitar, dobro, mandolin, violin, background vocals); Rob Shirakbari (acoustic guitar, piano, keyboards, background vocals); Alex Torjussen (drums); Diego Rodriguez (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Rob Shirakbari.
A gorgeously rendered concert album, Live from Lafayette finds singer Rumer revisiting songs from her 2020 studio album Nashville Tears. Also included are a handful of her favorite covers and originals from previous albums. A Pakistani-born, British vocalist, Rumer has carved out a distinctive niche on the pop landscape with her velvety smooth brand of vintage-inspired AM soft rock. It's a sound that's garnered her well-earned comparisons to icons like Karen Carpenter and Carol King, and one which she took to new heights on Nashville Tears. Having moved to Arkansas around 2015, Rumer developed a deep appreciation for the everyday poetry and rustic lyricism of country music. She was particularly sparked by the music of legendary Nashville songwriter Hugh Prestwood, whose songs became the focus of Nashville Tears. Although it was her first foray into country, it featured all of the orchestral shimmer and pop melodicism that has made her music so distinctive. Recorded as a streaming concert in London in 2020, Live from Lafayette features Rumer and her band led by her husband and longtime collaborator/arranger/producer/instrumentalist Rob Shirakbari. This is a full ensemble featuring string players, guitarists, and percussionists that nicely re-create the organic textures of Nashville Tears. In fact, Rumer's dusky voice might even sound that much better in concert. Here, she returns to Prestwood gems like "Bristlecone Pine'' and "The Fate of Fireflies," along with her own "Pizza and Pinball" and covers like her inspired version of the Hall & Oates classic "Sara Smile." Throughout all of Live from Lafayette Rumer shines, conjuring an atmosphere of poignant romanticism. ~ Matt Collar