On 2020's
Nashville Tears, singer
Rumer applies her deeply moving vocal style to the music of beloved country songwriter
Hugh Prestwood. A collaboration with Canadian producer
Fred Mollin (
Jimmy Webb,
America,
Kris Kristofferson), the album is a fitting addition to the singer's catalog, with songs that tap
Prestwood's deep well of poetic, everyday sadness. Born in Pakistan and raised in England,
Rumer moved to the United States around the time of her third album, 2014's
Into Colour, and has lived in the country music-friendly states of Arkansas and Georgia. Prior to that, she built a loyal following with her delicate '60s- and '70s-inspired orchestral pop sound. It's an approach that has found her covering the works of influential songwriters like
Jimmy Webb,
David Gates,
Paul Williams, and as on 2016's
This Girl's in Love,
Burt Bacharach and
Hal David. With
Nashville Tears, she and
Mollin take a similar approach, digging into
Prestwood's nuanced songbook. A successful if somewhat lesser-appreciated Nashville stalwart,
Prestwood has written songs for a bevy of country stars, including
Alison Krauss,
Randy Travis, and
Barbara Mandrell. While the bulk of
Nashville Tears focuses on his more obscure material, there are hits here, including "Ghost in This House" (recorded by
Shenandoah in 1990), and "The Song Remembers When" (a Top Ten single for
Trisha Yearwood in 1993). The album also harks back to the grandiose analog studio productions of the '70s as
Mollin frames
Rumer in delicate string, pedal steel, and organ arrangements, most supplied by
Rumer's husband, longtime
Dionne Warwick and
Burt Bacharach music director
Rob Shirakbari. Also adding to the album's warm country vibes are
Lost Hollow singers
Tommy and
Lorrie Harden, vocalist
Mandy Barnett, guitarist
Pat Buchanan, and other Nashville luminaries. Central on the album is
Rumer's buoyant version of "Hard Time for Lovers," originally recorded by
Judy Collins as the title track to her 1979 album. The
Collins connection works as a thoughtful touchstone throughout
Nashville Tears as
Rumer's soft, warm vocals nicely evoke
Collins' own pure, unadorned approach. It's a style that fits well with
Prestwood's songs, many of which, including "Oklahoma Stray," "June It's Gonna Happen," and "That's That" (a hit for
Michael Johnson in 1988), showcase his gift for using nature as a metaphor, illuminating how the landscapes that surround us often echo our most intense desires. On "That's That,"
Rumer sings, "There's a weeping willow on the outskirts of town/Where I took a pocket knife and carved out our names/In the morning I am gonna cut that tree down/Gonna build a fire and watch us go up in flames." ~ Matt Collar
