Joan Armatrading

singer-songwriter done right.
nice cleanser after lucinda williams' album

Man, nobody makes records like this anymore... and there's a reason for that.

This album is a patchwork of styles that doesn't feel cohesive at all. I guess the idea was to cast a wide net to bring disparate listeners in, but it falls flat for me.

3.75

This was new to me, and I liked it

Another artist I am completely unfamiliar with. I think I expected singer/songwriter style folk melodies here and I'm really pleasantly surprised. This is some good poppy soul with a soft rock backbone to it (yeah I know, but in this instance I actually DON'T mean to be insulting with "soft rock"). Some jazzy bits mixed in here and there, some blues too. Beautiful voice on Joan. Guitar work from her is also really expressive. Another one that's hard to really fit into any specific category, but just brimming with talent. I have to believe that Tracy Chapman was heavily influenced by Joan Armatrading. The songwriting and vocals are just too similar.

Interesting voice, but musically there wasn't that much to analyze.

beautiful voice

Totally fine and totally forgettable album. A couple of the arrangements were interesting, I guess, but overall I wasn't totally engaged.

Today's album is fantastic folk rock/blues rock/singer-songwriter. Reminds me of upbeat Joni Mitchell or Carole King/Tracy Chapman.

I love finding someone completely new who you wouldn't necessarily have ever stumbled upon Normally. I enjoyed this album so much that I listened to more of her stuff afterwards

Favourite songs: Join the Boys, People, Water With the Wine, Down to Zero, Like Fire, Love and Affection

Least favourite songs: Save Me

5/5

Joan Armatrading's self titled album is a pretty alright album, The first eight songs all were pretty good but the album did kinda fall apart at the last two songs with some overly loud instruments. The other songs though, were handled pretty well, and while they weren't the most interesting things in the world to listen to. They are still pretty decent and don't feel like a waste of time to listen to.
Best Song: Save Me
Worst Song: Tall In The Saddle

I’m aware of Joan Armstrong but never actually listened to her music intentionally. Ie only just realised it was her song sang love and affection today.

Great album, hard to believe this came out in the 70’s sounds like it could be a modern singer song writer album. The music is rich and varied, featuring Armatrading’s guitar playing and vocals, as well as contributions from other musicians such as Dave Mattacks, Dave Pegg, and B. J. Cole. The album incorporates elements of folk, rock, blues, and soul, creating a unique and original sound that is both timeless and modern. The album also demonstrates Armatrading’s ability to experiment and innovate, as she uses different instruments and arrangements, such as the saxophone on “Like Fire” and the strings on “Love and Affection”.

In conclusion, Joan Armatrading is a classic and masterpiece album that deserves to be in every music lover’s collection. It is a testament to Armatrading’s skill and creativity as a singer-songwriter and guitarist, and a reflection of her personality and spirit as a woman and an artist.

Immediately added to my permanent rotation. 5 stars.

Ehh not a big fan of this one. Some of the songs were boring with very little emotion behind them. Favorite songs were Join the Boys and Tall In The Saddle.

What a voice. First song is unbelievable. Love how this sounds. One of my favorite new discoveries, excited to go back to this.

4/5

Pretty chill and reasonably entertaining. 3/5

Nice background music, but doesn't grab the attention like some other albums. One big hit, but it doesn't really stand out among the rest - maybe it just caught the ear of the right person (dj, label boss, plugger) at the right time.

Folksy soul with jazzy RnB harmonies and arrangements supporting a powerful vocal performance. The singing displays an incredible range - most comfortable in a warm and intimate low-mid range, she drops down into some smokey lows and raises up for alto flashes. It's light and easy going, singing in service of the song not to feature virtuosity. To start, the songs are driven by an acoustic guitar in a classic singer-songwriter mode but fleshed out with strings, horns, piano and some restrained electric guitar along with simple bass parts and swinging drums plus he odd solo from a pretty lap steel, or a smooth jazz sax. Songs are generally slow and atmospheric, wintery Sunday morning fare. In the middle the pace picks up for some funkier tracks like Join the Boys, People, and Tall in the Saddle that combine a bit of Funkadelic fuzz with the artificial sweetner of Stevie Wonder pop. It ends with some hot twangy blues on Like Fire and Saggle that have a rampant bass and astral slide guitar and a bit of country flair. The production is crisp and clear, a full sound but still roomy with lots of space between the instruments. I'd never heard this before but wow.

Favorites: Down to Zero, Join the Boys, People, Like Fire, Tall in the Saddle

Well, this was quite pleasant. 3.5

I enjoyed this - she has a great voice with an interesting tone, and the songs have aged quite well, and sound good in a contemporary context.

Unexpectedly brilliant.

not my type of music. the funkier stuff was cool, and the last track, like fire had really nice guitar. not bad music by any means, but i wouldn’t ever choose to listen to it. 1/5

If I didn't detest steel guitar, this would likely be a five star album. So approachable, beautifully simple and straightforward. Powerful voice, relatable topics, great album.