Didn't It Rain (Hugh Laurie album)

Didn't It Rain
Studio album by Hugh Laurie
Released	6 August 2013 (2013-8-6)
Recorded	7–12 and 28–30 January 2013
Studio	Ocean Way (Hollywood)
Genre	Blues jazz R&B tango
Length	52:45 56:26 (iTunes edition) 71:05 (Amazon Special edition)
Label	Warner Bros./Rhino
Producer	Joe Henry
Hugh Laurie chronology
Let Them Talk (2011) Didn't It Rain (2013)
Singles from Didn't It Rain
"Wild Honey" Released: 2013

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	63/100 [1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
BPM	62% [3]
PopMatters	7/10 [4]

Didn't It Rain is the second studio album by English actor and musician Hugh Laurie.

Recorded in Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles in January 2013, ^[5] the album contains several blues songs (like its predecessor, Let Them Talk ). Unlike his previous album, however, Laurie also branches further into other Southern US and South American genres, including jazz, R&B, and tango.

Similarly to Let Them Talk, Laurie once again plays piano and guitar, and often provides vocals. Additionally, Laurie is joined by guest musicians Gaby Moreno, Jean McClain, and Taj Mahal, and is supported throughout by the Copper Bottom Band. ^[6]

Didn't It Rain was released in the UK on 6 May 2013, with iTunes providing pre-order and digital releases, ^[7] and Amazon providing vinyl prints and a special book edition. ^{[8] [9]} As a promotion for a Huffington Post interview ^[10] regarding Laurie's album and upcoming tour, the album had a 24-hour free streaming period in several countries. ^[11] It was released in the United States on 6 August 2013. ^[12]

The miniature piano seen on the album artwork was given to Laurie on a 2009 episode of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross . ^[13]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The St. Louis Blues"	WC Handy	4:21
2.	"Junkers Blues"	William Jack Dupree	2:55
3.	"Kiss of Fire"	Lester Allen, Robert Hill (original by Arroyo y Villodo)	3:27
4.	"Vicksburg Blues"	Little Brother Montgomery	4:28
5.	"The Weed Smoker's Dream"	Joe McCoy	4:17
6.	"Wild Honey"	Robert Charles Guidry, Malcolm John Rebennack	4:20
7.	"Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair"	George Brooks	5:26
8.	"Evenin'"	Harry A. White, Mitchell Parish	3:03
9.	"Didn't It Rain"	Robert S.H. Martin, Traditional	2:52
10.	"Careless Love"	Martin E. Koenig, Spencer Williams	5:21
11.	"One for My Baby"	John H. Mercer, Harold Arlen	4:00
12.	"I Hate a Man Like You"	Joseph Ferdinand Morton	4:17
13.	"Changes"	Alan Price	3:58

iTunes bonus track ^[7]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
14.	"Unchain My Heart"	Bobby Sharp, Teddy Powell	3:41

Limited edition book pack disc 2 ^[8]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Day & Night"	Rudy Stevenson	3:07
2.	"Junco Partner"	Robert Ellen	4:21
3.	"Louisiana Blues"	Muddy Waters	3:24
4.	"Staggerlee"	Lloyd Price, Harold Logan, Traditional	3:47
5.	"Unchain My Heart"	Bobby Sharp, Teddy Powell	3:41

Personnel

• Greg Leisz – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, lap steel guitar, dobro, mandola, mandolin
• Patrick Warren – accordion, Hammond b-3 organ, pump organ, keyboards
• Vincent Henry – vocals, harmonica, clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone
• Jay Bellerose – drums, percussion
• Larry Goldings – Hammond b-3 organ
• Kevin Breit – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, lap steel guitar, tenor banjo, mandocello, mandola, mandolin, background vocals
• Jean McClain – background vocals
• Elizabeth Lea – trombone
• David Plitch – upright bass, electric bass
• Hugh Laurie – vocals, acoustic guitar, whistle, piano, Wurlitzer organ
• Robby Marshall – clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone

Also

• Taj Mahal
• Gaby Moreno

Tour

Following the album's release, a promotional tour was set to span the UK and several countries starting on 31 May 2013. ^[14] The tour began in Belarus, and continued across mainland Europe. After covering five EU capitals, it toured several cities in the United Kingdom, before concluding back in mainland Europe.

Date	City	Country	Venue
Mainland Europe
31 May 2013	Minsk	Belarus	Republic Palace
2 June 2013	Saint Petersburg	Russia	Oktyabrsky Grand Concert Hall
4 June 2013	Moscow		Kremlin Palace
6 June 2013	Warsaw	Poland	Congress Hall
7 June 2013	Berlin	Germany	Admiralspalast
9 June 2013	Luxembourg City	Luxembourg	Den Atelier
10 June 2013	Amsterdam	Netherlands	Concertgebouw
11 June 2013	Brussels	Belgium	Cirque Royal
United Kingdom
13 June 2013	Bristol	England	Colston Hall
14 June 2013	London		Hammersmith Apollo
15 June 2013	Oxford		New Theatre Oxford
17 June 2013	Brighton		Brighton Dome
18 June 2013	Birmingham		Symphony Hall
20 June 2013	Manchester		Apollo Manchester
22 June 2013	Edinburgh	Scotland	Edinburgh Playhouse
23 June 2013	Gateshead	England	The Sage
Mainland Europe
9 July 2013	Paris	France	Le Grand Rex
12 July 2013	Bucharest	Romania	Sala Palatului
14 July 2013	Zurich	Switzerland	Live At Sunset
15 July 2013	Bologna	Italy	Teatro Auditorium Manzoni
18 July 2013	Arles	France	Theatre Antique d’Arles
23 July 2013	Vienna	Austria	Konzerthaus
24 July 2013	Ljubljana	Slovenia	Križanke
26 July 2013	Prague	Czech Republic	Congress Hall
27 July 2013

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (2013) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA) [15] 31 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [16] 10 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [17] 5 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [18] 4 Canadian Albums (Billboard) [19] 9 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [20] 32 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [21] 26 French Albums (SNEP) [22] 3 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [23] 41 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [24] 35 Irish Albums (IRMA) [25] 21 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [26] 22 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [27] 23 Scottish Albums (OCC) [28] 4 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [29] 71 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [30] 44 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [31] 3 UK Albums (OCC) [32] 3 US Billboard 200 [33] 21 US Top Blues Albums (Billboard) [34] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2013) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [35] 103 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [36] 45 French Albums (SNEP) [37] 114 UK Albums (OCC) [38] 141 US Top Blues Albums (Billboard) [39] 6 Certifications Region Certification Certified units/sales France (SNEP) [40] Gold 50,000* * Sales figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Didn't It Rain Reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Didn't It Rain – Hugh Laurie". AllMusic . Retrieved 8 August 2013.
3. Finlayson, Ray (10 May 2013). "Album Review". BeatsPerMinute.com. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
4. McGuire, Colin (6 August 2013). "Hugh Laurie: Didn't It Rain". PopMatters.com. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
5. Hugh Laurie Blues - The official Site About Page, as reflected in the Internet Archive, retrieved June 10, 2018
6. The Copper Bottom Band consists of Jay Bellerose, Kevin Breit, Vincent Henry, Greg Leisz, Robby Marshall, David Piltch Archived 4 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine and Patrick Warren, with Elizabeth Lea and Larry Goldings playing additional instruments.
7. "Didn't It Rain". itunes.apple.com. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
8. "Amazon UK Special Edition". amazon.co.uk . Retrieved 11 May 2013.
9. "Amazon UK Vinyl Edition". amazon.co.uk . Retrieved 11 May 2013.
10. "Didn't It Rain Interview". huffingtonpost.co.uk . Retrieved 29 April 2013.
11. The album was available in Australia, Belgium, Argentina, Hungary, South Africa, Slovakia, Ireland, Spain, Bulgaria and the UK.
12. "iTunes - Music - Didn't It Rain (Deluxe) by Hugh Laurie". iTunes. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
13. "Hugh Laurie on Jonathan Ross Part 2/2". YouTube. 6 June 2009. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
14. Hugh Laurie's Blues - the official Site back Tour listings, as reflected in the Internet Archive, retrieved on April 28, 2018
15. "Australiancharts.com – Hugh Laurie – Didn't It Rain". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
16. "Austriancharts.at – Hugh Laurie – Didn't It Rain" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
17. "Ultratop.be – Hugh Laurie – Didn't It Rain" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
18. "Ultratop.be – Hugh Laurie – Didn't It Rain" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
19. "Hugh Laurie Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
20. "Dutchcharts.nl – Hugh Laurie – Didn't It Rain" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
21. "Hugh Laurie: Didn't It Rain" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
22. "Lescharts.com – Hugh Laurie – Didn't It Rain". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
23. "Offiziellecharts.de – Hugh Laurie – Didn't It Rain" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
24. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2013. 21. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
25. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week {{{week}}}, {{{year}}}". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
26. "Charts.nz – Hugh Laurie – Didn't It Rain". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
27. "Norwegiancharts.com – Hugh Laurie – Didn't It Rain". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
28. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
29. "Spanishcharts.com – Hugh Laurie – Didn't It Rain". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
30. "Swedishcharts.com – Hugh Laurie – Didn't It Rain". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
31. "Swisscharts.com – Hugh Laurie – Didn't It Rain". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
32. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
33. "Hugh Laurie Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
34. "Hugh Laurie Chart History (Top Blues Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
35. "Jaaroverzichten 2013". Ultratop. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
36. "Rapports Annuels 2013". Ultratop. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
37. "Top de l'année Top Albums 2013" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
38. "End of Year 2013" (PDF). UKChartsPlus . Retrieved 1 May 2021.
39. "Blues Albums – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
40. "SINGLES OR 2013 - 150 000 exemplaires vendus" (PDF). Proxy.siteo.com. Retrieved 29 July 2016.

External links

• Official website