Boys Don't Cry

Rumer's 2011 debut album, Seasons of My Soul, was like a trip back to the early '70s, when The Carpenters reigned over AM radio; its tunes sounded as if they'd been written with Burt Bacharach on hand. Her follow-up release, 2012's Boys Don't Cry, is a collection of covers that shows her impeccable taste and her natural ability to simply sing a song. Whether it's Jimmy Webb's "P.F. Sloan," Hall & Oates' "Sara Smile," or Terry Reid's "Brave Awakening," Rumer handles these songs with sensitivity while Steve Brown orchestrates with taste and restraint. Her take on Isaac Hayes' "Soulsville," from the Shaft soundtrack, is an inspired reformatting of a pure soul number, while Townes Van Zandt's "Flyin' Shoes" hints at country music. Neil Young's "A Man Needs a Maid" adds a level of intensity. Even John Sebastian's hit single "Welcome Back" can be heard as something other than the TV theme to Welcome Back Kotter. The tonal richness here is simply beautiful. The deluxe edition adds four bonus cuts, with a soothing cover of Bob Marley's "Soul Rebel" and Gilbert O'Sullivan's "We Will" among the highlights.