I usually stick to pre-CD era covers, but there's an exception to every rule. Rumor and Sigh was one of Richard Thompson's periodic reaches for a hit album. By his standards, it sold quite well and the video for I Feel So Good was in VH1's regular rotation. It also caused some controversy among his UK fan base by using the American spelling for the word rumor. In short, he's a u-dropper.
The cover by Laura Levine is folk art inspired but she is no Howard Finster style outsider artist. Levine is a veteran music photog who did many album covers and photo shoots of some of the biggest names in rock and roll.
Another thing of interest was the packaging of Rumor and Sigh. It came in the CD longbox; a cardboard cover designed to preserve the quality of album art and, more importantly, fit into retailers existing displays. It was phased out some time after this album was released in 1991.
This next scan is of the back cover of the CD insert and depicts one of RT's best loved, and most covered, songs, 1952 Vincent Black Lightning:
The entire album is not available on YouTube so here are a few numbahs for your enjoyment:
You’re right about “reaches for a hit album,” Mitchell Froom’s high-fructose keyboard washes especially. But I think the songs were his best since Shoot Out the Lights. (And I like Mirror Blue even better.)
I can’t play his most intricate guitar parts, as indeed few mortals can, but I worked out a reasonably good arrangement of “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” on Celtic bouzouki.
Then there’s the video for “I Feel So Good,” based on the style of Levine’s wonderful cover art (though the brief non-animated parts with RT are my favorite parts).