Today she’s called Rumer, has
two Top 10 albums to her
name and has shared a stage
with such big hitters as Elton
John and Jimmy Webb. Back
in 2001 she was still Sarah
Joyce, a 19-year-old hopeful
fronting an acoustic pop band
whose debut album
languished unreleased in
a studio cupboard.
What’s initially baffling is
why such an accomplished,
mature and seemingly
commercial record should
have been shelved in the first
place, but it’s also a puzzle as
to why, given Joyce’s successful
reincarnation, it’s taken so
long to finally see the light of
day. Personal upheavals led to
her quitting the band after the
release of one EP, but surely
a completed set of songs for
a long-player could have been
brought to market anyway.
why such an accomplished,
mature and seemingly
commercial record should
have been shelved in the first
place, but it’s also a puzzle as
to why, given Joyce’s successful
reincarnation, it’s taken so
long to finally see the light of
day. Personal upheavals led to
her quitting the band after the
release of one EP, but surely
a completed set of songs for
a long-player could have been
brought to market anyway.
The voice is distinctively,
unmistakably Rumer, and if
I See Stars lacks the elegant
sophistication of her solo
work it’s more than
compensated for by the
youthful vigour and wide-eyed
sweetness of The One That
Got Away and Rich Man’s
Wine. Lyrically, La Honda
chart an intriguing course
with leftfield subject matter
on Tokyo Ladybody, Moth In
The Incubator and the self-deprecating
centrepiece
Music For Girls.
unmistakably Rumer, and if
I See Stars lacks the elegant
sophistication of her solo
work it’s more than
compensated for by the
youthful vigour and wide-eyed
sweetness of The One That
Got Away and Rich Man’s
Wine. Lyrically, La Honda
chart an intriguing course
with leftfield subject matter
on Tokyo Ladybody, Moth In
The Incubator and the self-deprecating
centrepiece
Music For Girls.
