REVIEW: Rumer live at Nottingham Royal Concert Hall

In November last year, singer songwriter Rumer released her debut album Seasons of My Soul.

The album went on to sell over 300,000 copies in the UK alone and earn the singer legions of fans – including Labour MP John Prescott. But don’t let that put you off - Jools Holland and Elton John like her too.

In fact, Rumer sang John’s Rocket Man to express her feelings regarding her meteoric rise and unexpected success to those who had turned out at Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall on the penultimate night of her current tour.

Rumer’s soulful voice has been compared to many singers during her relatively short stint in the public eye – none more so than Karen Carpenter.

This comparison is particularly striking on the 32-year-old’s biggest hit so far, Slow.

But – perhaps thankfully – Rumer doesn’t have as much heartbreak and sorrow in her voice as the late American singer.

The set list for the show was a bit of a sprawling mess with original songs broken up with covers of songs from the likes of Laura Nyro and Carole King without really building to anything. And while each song in itself was pleasant enough, there was no overall cohesion.

But Rumer and her team undoubtedly know her demographic in choosing to cover the songs that her fans – primarily middle- aged and female – want to hear with Joni Mitchell thrown into the mix along with King and John.

And so there are many improvements that can be made to her live shows – including the choice of support – but with a voice like hers, Rumer will definitely have the chance to hone her craft.

By Fraser Wilson