Wow, I can’t believe I’ve never heard of her. Such an amazing voice and love the borderline country/funk sound. Love and Affection made its way to my hits playlist.
This whole album was awesome. Incredible vocal range and style from song to song carried by an eclectic compilation of instrumentals.
This might be my favorite album we've drawn so far. I really liked it, all the way through. I even started listening to her next album. Also, this is an artist whose name rang a bell but that, to my knowledge, I've never listened to before.
Wow, that was great. Last couple songs weren't as good as the ones before it, but it overall was still SUPER solid. I'd never heard of Joan Armatrading before this, but I will certainly remember her name. I think I'll be going back to this a fair amount in the future, and I'll honestly probably even check out more of her stuff.
1 - Electric guitar coming in adds a lot. Love the core of acoustic guitar and piano. STEEL GUITAR SOLO. Sounds like folksy Elton John. 2 - Love this more laid back and bluesy turn. OO. Drums and electric guitar coming in is super cool. Strings in background add a lot of texture. Love how she lays the groove back down after the up section. Delivery reminds me of Joni Mitchell. 3 - GROOVY. FUNKY. Maintains that bluesy feel. Weird upper harmonies super cool. 4 - LOVE this slowdown. Arpeggiations on guitar super cool and are slightly off balance throughout song. Love how strings and drums layer in with low voice. SAX SOLO. This song is awesome. 5 - Now THIS is super Joni Mitchell. Cool rock ballad. Little acoustic flurries super cool with electric riffs underneath. Queen loves strings and they do her well. You could make a very cool sample from this hook. 6 - Great transition to something more rhythmic. Almost jazzy intro, still very blues-centered. YES BITCH. Jam vibes. Very jazzy guitar feature into piano feature, playing with left and right speakers builds into another verse. 7 - Catchy!! Love the main riff. Love her vocals. Love the hook. More vocal harmony stuff in this song. Rock vibes with this one. 8 - Gentler yet upbeat folksy ballad. Very happy sounding and nice. Guitar parts are very cool too. 9 - Awesome opening acoustic guitar intro. Can confidently say this song rocks. Sexy vocals, driving rhythm. The acoustic solo in the middle is dope as well, love how everything else drops out for so long. 10 - “You don’t leave my down-hearted, but I'm sorry you had to go, because we had fun while it lasted.” Reflective and somber blues closing, powerful vocal performance. LOVE the upbeat switch at the end, mirrors the uplifting disappointment of the lyrics. Love this for a closing track, really sums up the album musically and thematically. Summary - Great album. I thought the instrumentation was awesome. That combined with the vocal talent of Joan Armatrading allow for a full exploration of the bluesy, jazzy, singer-songwriter sound she creates. You can blast most of this album and dance your ass off, but it also rewards a more focused listening.
So happy to have discovered Joan. Soulful, deep voice doing that classic 60's/70's singer/songwriter thing. Closest thing I can think of melodically is early Elton John, but with a richer voice. She dips into a Motown sound from time to time, but never as much as you'd think considering the era (I guess it was on the other side of the pond). Secret little gems like this are what keep me coming back to this challenge even after an entire year.
Honestly really liked this album. I'll definitely listen to "Down to Zero" and "Love and Affection" again. Joan has the vocal range contraito, which is the lowest female register I guess. This is probably her best known album, but she has a 50-year career with 19 studio albums! She's never been super well known, but has played alongside some big acts like Bob Dylan.
Some groovy tracks, but seems a little too mellow towards the beginning. Too acoustic to jive, too much presence to vibe? Folk background and later jazz, rock, and blues influences. Later songs more guitar and bass, groovier riffs and drums. Listening to Love and Affection again, almost like an acoustic, very light rock/jazz ballad. Like it more now. Maybe I’m a hater first time through. Save Me: only song I’m not a fan of completely, I think due to the register/timbre of the long “save me” lines. Doesn’t feel full like the rest.
I feel bad giving this such a low score because there is nothing wrong with this, it's just simply not for me. Give this a listen if you like folky and mellow songs, but a 2/5 from me, somebody who finds this kind of music really boring.
Inventive, beautiful, and poetic. There's so much energy and soul in these tracks, it's incredible front to back.
This was a nice and fun album. Her voice has a clarity and tonality that mixed with the positive lyrics and mellow music makes this very enjoyable.
Kom mér virkilega á óvart. Þvílíkur snililngur. Hvar hefur þessi kona verið allt mitt líf.
This is some stuff I can vibe with strongly. There is a ton of soul and it has a loving and cozy feel to it.
Cool fusion of pop, Blues, and jazz. Joan has a wonderful voice which is accompanied by some banging instrumentals
I can’t believe I’ve never heard of her before. I’ve been listening to this all weekend. The album feels like a singer songwriter record but depending on the song, she does folk rock, country rock, funk and soul. And somehow it all still sounds like one cohesive style. Her vocals tie everything together. She has such a strong, distinct voice and she’s a mesmerizing performer. The songwriting is fantastic too. She writes about love and relationships with depth and maturity, touching on issues of vulnerability, power and confidence. I know I just heard it for the first time a few days ago but I could find room for “Tall in the Saddle” on my top 100 rock songs of all time. What a song! It starts with Pink Floyd style guitar and adds her deeply soulful singing before pausing for a guitar solo that would be at home on “Dark Side of the Moon.” Then it builds to a climax and tears into a funky breakdown followed by an insanely danceable refrain. Even the phrase “tall in the saddle” is great. The song is a takedown of a womanizer in his prime but even post-breakup she concedes how much fun he was. (I love the way she sings, “Fun, fun, fun, fuuun!”) I can’t wait to listen to more of her. Easily my favorite new discovery from this list. 💯
Dig this! Great jazz, good funk, great song writing. I'm thrilled to have found her. Want to hear more.
Never heard this before…. One song was semi familiar. Really enjoyed it though. Soulful with good tunes!
Surprisingly great album, liked the combination of voice and instruments, shows a great variety of genres and songs, without becoming too much
I like the minimalistic feel of it. It's just a songer with her acoustic guitar and a bit of accompaniment but not too much. Very cool vibes that fit the lyrics very well.
somewhat mediocre and inconsistent buttttttt really liked the last song and she had a good voice
Great album. Unique blend of the sounds of the 70s. Not quite Joni Mitchell level of songwriting, but she has all the same skills. I enjoyed it!
“Joan Armatrading” by Joan Armatrading (1976) With lyrics that are rich in passion, Armatrading inundates the listener with images that spring forth from particular moments of experience. She freezes emotional time. It’s as if she’s beginning to swoon, and an entire song issues forth in the brief instant that she’s falling to the floor. Makes you want to rush over and catch her before she hits the deck. Can’t help yourself. Powerful. Whether the feeling is anxiety (“People”), dejection (“Down to Zero”), panic (“Save Me”), apprehension (“Water with the Wine”), or longing (“Love and Affection”), she touches, grabs, pierces the heart. If you’re human. And, boys, she devastates your cockiness with both whimsy and panache in “Tall in the Saddle”. We are all suitably chastened. Here’s a sample (from “Somebody Who Loves You”): “Cozy corner your arms around you So tired of one night stands Left with longing from misspent passion With one more human to despise . . . “ Dancing between folk, funk, and jazz, she harnesses powerful alto vocal stylings (pleasantly croaky on the bottom) in company with sensitive arrangements, to serve up tasteful musical confections. Very nice acoustic stylings (especially on “Like Fire”). And has anyone ever sung the word “insane” (“People”) with greater fidelity? Shivers. This is music one should not listen to all day, but rather on well chosen melancholy occasions when you need to be reassured that in your yearning and pain, you’re not alone. 4/5
Really like this - Such a nice voice and an awesome guiatar player. Love all of the strings involved. The Cello (I think??) on Love and Affection is soooo so good. Down To zero, Love and Affection, Like Fire were the big highlights
wasnt the sort of thing i usually listen to, but i enjoyed it. haven’t heard of this artist in the past but i might check out the rest of her discography.
Listened to this while walking around the west end, it was so relaxing and chill, perfect walking soundtrack on a recently-wet now-sunny day. Bass was funky AF
Down to zero - virkelig godt! Funket og rocket på samme tid. Help yourself - God produktion, originalt og meget harmonisk. Fed vokal. Water with wine - God produktion, trommerne svinger godt.
The production, the band, and the songwriting are all superb on this album. It’s a shock that it came out in the mid-70s because it could easily come from the 90s or even today. For an artist I’ve never even heard of I enjoyed the hell out of this.
Joan Armatrading's name was familiar, but I couldn't tell you if I've heard any of her music. "Love and Affection" is the track on this album that I've heard before. This was a good suggestion, and a solid album all the way through.
An album of some number of pop-folk bangers. Yet another "how did this get produced so long ago" find thanks to this site. At first blush, I feel that it stands up to many of my favorite pop projects of the last twenty years. I want to give it time to grow on me before I think about it in words again.
When she's good, she's unbeatable. Down to zero has been in my personal top 10 for 40+ years and not likely to be shifted, and Love and affection is just completely perfect.
This album was real good. She has a great voice and a perfect, folksy, singer-songwriter vibe. I'll listen to this again - really, really enjoyed it.
Have never heard of Joan Armatrading. But man, she's great! Her voice and backing band are excellent. Pedal steel in "Down to Zero" is haunting.
Thought it wasn’t my thing at first, I was wrong! This one definitely heats up as it goes on, the funk got cool enough for me to raise my impression from 2 to 4 stars
great voice and great songs, its not my taste really but i can't deny its a great piece of music
Els grans discs de cantautors solen tenir com un dels seus principals hàndicaps l'excessiu recolçament creatiu en les lletres i el missatge, descuidant moltes vegades la música. No és aquest el cas. Més enllà d'unes lletres d'alt nivell compositiu i d'una veu increïble, es nota la búsqueda per part d'Armatading d'unes melodies que resultin atractives i uns arranjaments que estiguin a l'alçada. I ho aconsegueix. És un disc per descobrir o redescobrir per part d'un públic molt més massiu del qual ha tingut fins ara
Great guitar work, bass work throughout this album. Loved her voice. Some good songs but nothing amazing. Would definitely listen again
Yeah, I like this. Surprising I've not heard of her before, great voice. Good instrumentals. Give it a listen.
This is one of these albums that I would not have picked myself but can very well understand why it is on the list. But it is a fine album, and probably the Joan Armatrading I have listened to the most. Also: it is not possible to give an album that contains "Love and Affection" anything less than 4 stars.
Terrific album. I had never heard of Joan Armatrading. Folk rock, with an edge of r&b. Four of the songs are bangers. I really enjoyed "Love and Affection" and "Somebody Who Loves You."
Ooo I am really liking this one! Brand new discovery for me. Down to the Ground reminds me a lot of Van Morrison's Into The Mystic, the progression of it, the cadence. And something about the second track Help Yourself reminds me a lot of Jeff Buckley, there's a quality to the vocals and musical arrangements that feels very Buckley. It's soulful and passionate, but edgy and deep too. Actually this whole album is reminiscent Buckley, but I know Joan came first. I'm so impressed by this groovy badass woman. I think Joan and Jeff might have been kindred musical spirits. I'm so into it!
Man, there are some fucking jams here man. And the slower cuts are good too! Great production and performances all around. This is a winner.
I really liked this album! Great voice and good instrumentals, liked certain parts of strings. A bit samey though but that’s ok.
“Showed that we now have a black artist in Britain with the same sort of vocal range, originality (in fact even greater originality in terms of musical influences) and lyrical sensitivity as Joni Mitchell.”
An amazing voice. Lovely songs. A great album to get lost in or to use as background music.
This is a slow-burn album - I wasn't sure over the first few songs ... it's inevitable that you try to make comparisons...Joni Mitchell? Laura Nyro? I don't know if either of those match. Way more than just the vocals on this one - the music and songs are each interesting/diverse. It's pop, it's folk, it's rock, bluesy... but at the same time nothing is so "out there" that makes any of it inaccessible. My highlights would be "Join the Boys" and "Like Fire" which is my favourite - this has such a crazy-cool acoustic guitar intro from Joan, and that last song "Tall In The Saddle" is a surprise; you think it's gonna be a slow jazzy tune to end it all and then about 2/3 through that changeup to uptempo was great. Really enjoyed this one. 8/10 4 stars
My older brother was a big fan of Joan Armatrading. I gave her a quick listen back then and didn't really connect with her music. Now, with my older, more mature ears, I can see why he liked her so much. Great songwriting and range. Some of her singing reminds me of Joni Mitchell, which I'm not a fan of - that sort of jazz style melody - but overall I think this is really good. Planning to listen again to this and more of her music. 4 stars.
Loved this album. Such. Wide range of styles, full lush production and still sounding modern. A cracker
Really nice. Expressive and emotive with soulful feminine drive. Lots of baby-making musics. I recall some reference to Miss Armatrading from the 80's but not the context from before. This record is certainly not dated to the mid 70's and stands as a cool human connection to whenever.
A simply stunning collection of songs, Armatrading surely deserves more recognition for making quietly compelling, engaging music. There’s a breadth to her music - ballads, soul, funk, folk - and her artistry delivers them all expertly. The production is exquisite - lush strings are only added where required and you can hear the contribution of every musician. This is good stuff. Fun fact - The Wire’s Clarke Peters (Detective Lester Freamon, Pawn department hump who turned out to be good police) sings the bass backing vocals on Love and Affection!
I can’t believe I’ve never heard of Joan Armatrading before. Her music is a seamless mix of funk, country, and folk that is lush and driving. Her voice is versatile and her songs are well written.
Her voice and acoustic accompaniment worked very well together, some of these songs were beautifully written and composed. I enjoyed what I heard a lot, as it reminded me of a few other songwriters from that era. I can see how she would get lost in the shuffle of that genre, but this album from start to finish was rather enjoyable.
This is a nice – even very nice – record to know, largely because I suspect few people who read this book / take on this project would know it well, if at all. It’s just my speed, really, pleasantly understated overall, and extraordinarily smooth in its genre-fusing. But it never reaches desert island disc territory, never quite sweeps one fully away. “Somebody Who Loves You” sounds both terrifically intricate and powerfully intimate. “Help Yourself” and “Water with the Wine” are other highlights, plus the lap steel flourishes on the opener. “Polished and professional” is right, as is the idea that she deserved more than a pigeonhole and much better sales and acknowledgement. I loved the voice and style from first hearing (“Drop the Pilot” of course, which is a great song) and I'm sufficiently inspired to listen to this one more than once and to go deeper in the catalog, too. 3.8 for 4.
Nice and easy listening. I love her voice, deep and soft at the same time. What wonders me how she’s isn’t recognized.
Ok not much to go on by the cover, very obviously 70s photo stock and an acoustic guitar. Ok it's kinda folky rock with country bits, other times a bit funky... all over the place but catchy. Singing sounds a bit like Joni Mitchell or something. It doesn't do much for me but I'm giving it a 3 because 2 feels too low, and I'm not slagging it off, it just doesn't interest me.
3.5 - surprised by this one. liked water with the wine, love and affection, and somebody who loves you
Another one I'd never heard of but will listen again. Surprised I've never heard her mentioned as an influence for the likes of Taylor Swift.
Production: 12/20 Songwriting: 15/20 Innovation: 12/20 Bangers: 5/20 Emotional response: 14/20 =58 Nice but I don’t agree with the arms trade so I will boycott
I had never heard of this artist and overall I liked it. Not something I would probably dip into again for a full album but it made my walk on a rainy day nice.
Kolejny brytyjski albumik ktory nie brzmi ani troche brytyjsko, wiec juz samym tym faktem mocno psusuje, ale chyba wczesniej nie slyszalem podobnego wokalu zenskiego w muzyce popularno folkowej z mocnymi inspiracjami funkowo blusowymi czy tez rokowo jazzowymi, najblizej bym stawial Tine Turner, ale to jednak nadal nie to samo, poza wokalami Pani Joan szarpie takze za akustyka na tym albumiku, najlepszy gitarkowy kawalek tolike fire, obie gitarki robia robote, kawalki typowo popularne, czyli tematyka amorowo smutkowa, ale dziwne ze gdy sie tego slucha nie czuc, ze jest to spiewanie z perspektywy kobiety, po zwikowaniu wokalistki wyszlo na to ze jest ona w zwiazku homoseksualnym, wiec ciekawe ze takie rzeczy da sie uslyszec i czy juz wtedy byla zorientowana w tym kierunku,a jesli cos takiego mozna uslyszec to plyta posiada ten element orginalnosci i autentycznosci co jest rzadkie w muzyce popularnej, ktora trafia do szerokiego grona sluchaczy, instrumentalna czesc albumu jest roznorodna, bo tak jak pisalem sa kawalki bardziej fukowe a zaraz potem bluesowe, ale nigdzie nie kradna spotlajtu wokalowi, chociaz znajda sie tez ciekawe solowki klawiszowe czy gitarkowe, ktory jest tu najwazniejszy, na plejke wrzucam otwierajacy down to zero oraz love and affection
A pleasant album that jangles and chugs along nicely. Pop rock with blues, funk and jazz elements and a soulful voice. Doesn't seem particularly cutting edge, but a very pleasant and an enjoyable listen. No weak tracks but nothing that stands out. 3/5.
just seems so MOR to be on a list like this. Maybe it's notable because just how boringly pleasant the music is? Give me Tina Turner any day. Also, I think Joan is one of those that's more popular in the USA than she is in her home country. Like Bush.
Surprised that I'd already liked one of the songs on this album, previously. Kinda like the album, also a little boring for just regular listening, but probably better if I paid attention to the lyrics.
Das hätte ich besser abends in Ruhe gehört. Gefällt mir, aber auch nicht herausragend.
Es ist durchaus sehr schön, hat mich allerdings in diesem Moment nicht so sehr abgeholt wie die bisherigen Alben, das mag aber auch an meiner Umgebung gelegen haben. Ich höre später nochmal rein.
Enjoyed listening to this album, starts off a bit slow and picks up a bit late. think I'll be listening to more of Joan in future.
This was a nice listen. Like something your quirky cousins would play while you have lunch at their place.
Reminded me of Tracy Chapman. Only one great song and maybe a couple good songs on the album.
Jedan divan album. Koji mi se svidio više nego što sam očekivao. Odličan početak albuma sa Down to Zero, te je nastavila sa finim pjesmama along the way. Somebody Who Loves You i Love and Affection su isto vrijedni spomena.
oh wow it's a woman singing? beautiful voice in down to zero! help yourself is good water with wine is meh
chill hippy vibes some jazz feels some of the songs are quite long or feel like they’re longer than they actually are solid album
Mellow and soulful. She has a lovely voice and the songs are all well crafted. Any song from here I would happily enjoy in isolation if it appeared on a playlist or the radio but I found the album as a whole just washed over me, leaving little impression and feeling like background music.
Enjoyed this album as it was my first time hearing it. The acoustics were well done and lyrically most songs were well made. Feels like an early Tracy Chapman. Would listen to some of the songs again. 7.1/10
A pleasant listen. Chill vibe with a lot of musically eclectic elements. A level above other singer songwriters of that era. Joan Armatrading has an interesting voice, very rich and soulful and confident, but also sweet when she wants it to be. Intimate, beautifully crafted lyrics. Fave Songs: Down to Zero, Love and Affection, Water with the Wine
Not my type of music but I can tell she is very talented. Couple songs I enjoyed on the album but overall not my taste
Really good start, dropped off towards the middle after love and affection. Very good guitar-playing, especially in the last half Gave me some Carole King Vibes and to a higher degree Tracy Chapman vibes 3.5/5
18. Joan Armatrading - Joan Aramatrading. 10 Tracks. Love & Affection is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. It's impossible for the album to live up to that level but it's still good, if very much in the shade of such a powerful dominant track. 3/5.
This is quite pleasant. Especially like the sound/the production. Not all of the songs are grabbing me but that's probably mostly due to unfamiliarity. Looking forward to going back to this one to get to know it better. 7/10
It's decent - gets better as it goes on. But I think sounds rather dated now (which is fair, it is)
Love And Affection is a good track. Its hard for me to put this album in a box 3 tracks in. Join The Boys has a mysterious groove behind it to kick off the back half of the album.
Not really listened to Joan Armatrading before. She is an incredible lyricist, blessed with a great voice for delivering those lyrics - which sometimes contain so much, the balancing act of fitting them with the music is quite thrilling. However, the music itself isn't quite as exciting, and rarely veers anywhere you aren't expecting - though this is to 2021 ears, so I do wonder if I'm missing anything. Overall, it's great and deserves its place here. I'll probably relisten to it, and will listen to more Joan Armatrading in future, but I haven't been blown away.
A very well produced album, but there was nothing that stood out to me or that I connected with. It might get better with repeated listenings in a really relaxed atmosphere.
I had never heard of Joan before, yet some of the songs sounded a bit familiar, perhaps I have heard some of them in passing. Nevertheless this album impressed me a lot, all the songs were very different and Joan's vocals are so good. A lot of cool riffs aswell. I'm a bit torn if I should give this a 3 star or a 4 star, so i'll stick with a 3.5 / 5.
Sounds good, but it's pure background music to me. Really can't see why this is on the list.
i got into down to zero and love and affection, though in general, this style and delivery don't do too much for me. it seems fine but i doubt i would choose to listen to it again.
I don't remember hearing any of these songs before, but they are very enjoyable. I can imagine having a record player and putting this on and moving along to this music.
Not much to say about this one. I liked the sound and the voice and it was a quality album
Dated in terms of arrangement and production but still some powerful, affecting songs.
The best of this album IMO: - People I recognize the talent but this list made me realize that I don't enjoy folk music. 2.7/5
I wanted to enjoy this more than I did. There's some lovely stuff here and there but nothing too memorable
Of course I had heard of Joan Armatrading as a singer-songwriter, but never checked out her music. The band on this album sounds very good, but Armatrading's singing does not appeal to me very much. The only song that stood out for me was Like Fire.
I liked the album and it had its fair share of funky tunes, I felt it could have been more consistent though. I do hear the influence on like modern chamber pop even on this one which was really cool
Just about above average singer songwriting. Hard for me to muster any strong feelings for this either way really.
I see a lot of comparisons to Trace Chapman, and I can see why. The focus is on Joan. Instrumentals serve merely to back her up, but they sound relaxing and pleasant. Joan has such a powerful, emotional, and often beautiful voice that she should set an example for other singer-songwriters to follow. There's a few outstanding tracks but other than that it's fine and serves what I'm looking for.
Individual songs on here I adored, but as a whole it didn't work as well for me. I think the ballads dragged it down a tad.
This was fine, nothing special. I enjoyed listening to this, but I really don't feel compelled to listen again.
Very nice voice. Very chill. Smooth jams. It was really well done. I respect it,. A few moments I liked, but it's not my style and resonate with me personally. songs: join the boys, people, like fire
Pretty interesting album. I'd never heard of Joan Armatrading before this. It felt like every song was *almost* good. Definitely one of those albums where you know the Spotify suggestions afterward are going to be good.
Chilled and soulful folk sound Strand of tracks - help yourself - love & affection - Join the boys
This is an interesting album, lots going on but it didn't fully grab me. Joan Armatrading sounds like if you had Cher's voice singing Joni Mitchell songs. You have a good mix here, some acoustic folk singer-songwriter type tunes, you have some operatic ballads, and you have some uptempo jazzy/funky numbers. Lots of variety in the instruments and styles from song to song. Overall well done, she seems to be a very good songwriter. I liked Join the Boys in particular. People was good too, that was a good one-two punch on the album.
When I first heard this, a very long time ago, I loved it. But in my late fifties? For some reason it's lost its flavour. Still, added it to listen again another time.
This got me thinking (via Kelafa Sanneh's excellent book about genre and music) about shortcuts, approximations, and the slippery slope that ends in shouts of cultural appropriation etc. The temptation is to place an artist in a box – commercial considerations, fear of the unknown, if-you-liked-that-then-you'll-like-this, etc. In this case, my first instinct was to think of Armatrading as proto-Tracy Chapman. Two things about this (1) Astonishingly lazy thinking on my part. They're nothing alike (2) I bet you Armatrading came up in an early marketing meeting for Ms C. it is what it is, I suppose. Creativity and imagination do exist in the sausage factory. My task is to enjoy the former without becoming a hostage to the latter "Love and Affection" is an amazing song, by the way.
It's a very nice album. Apart from the biggest hit and Down to Zero the rest are pleasant album fillers. Easy sounds and intelligent lyrics but's there's just something missing....
She is so strong and confident in her delivery, it's a nice contrast to the typical ethereal/floaty/heady sound from female vocalists in the 70's. Now that I think of it, we might have this on vinyl...
Some standout songs, ended uptempo. Some slower forgettable ones throughout the middle.
Good album. Full of that late 70s folk / pop sound. You definitely need to be in a space for this, kinda like with Joni Mitchell's non 'Blue' work.
Tämä oli nimenä hämärästi tuttu jostain yhteydestä, mutta musiikista ei ollut aavistustakaan. Eipä musiikissa mitään erityisen positiivista olekaan, vaan hyvin geneerisellä rallattelulinjalla mennään. Oikein mitään ei jäänyt mieleen. Ei ainakaan mitään erityisen positiivista.
Periaatteessa ihan ok nainen ja kitara -settiä, mutta ei sitten kuitenkaan lähtenyt. Water with winessä oli vähän samaa poljentoa, kuin son of a preachermanissa, mutta nostatus ei päässyt kliimaksiin, vaan jäi vähän vajaaksi.
It took me a while, but I kind of like Joan Armitrading. She is one of those rare artists that critics and record companies pull out all the stops for, plugging relentlessly, practically willing them into stardom. In fact, Joan Armitrading stands alone in this in terms of industry promotion. As I recall, the hype was that, as a songwriter, she was the 2nd coming of Lennon/McCartney. All the PR never really stuck--Joan Armitrading was never more than a minor figure in popular music. But what about the album in question? It actually isn't her first, but rather her third album, and has more or less the same mix of winners and duds. Armitrading's style was unusual, as it was a polyglot mix of a number of styles, wrapped up in an accessible package; folk, blues, R&B, country, and rock were the musical influences, and her lyrics had some of the confessional quality of the still recent singer songwriter era, but tended to be more direct and blunt. And then there was her voice, a plain but sonorous baritone. Her vocal phrasing was unusual, in that she would alternate between rapid fire rhythmic pulses and elongated phrases. Down to Zero has strong rhythmic hooks to start with, which Armitrading makes even more memorable by the way she stretches and contracts the melodies. Love and Affection boasts an earworm in the chorus that made it a hit, with the help of ceaseless industry promotion. Unfortunately, the rest of the songwriting is rather clumsy, which is the pattern for pretty much all of her albums. I generally prefer to listen to albums, but Joan Armitrading is one of those artists who are best enjoyed in a compilation. 2/5
Me and my husband enjoyed listened to this on our verandah with a bottle of bubbly for out 20th wedding anniversary! Great music as always thanks Joan!
Tolle Stimme, so tief. Angenehme Musik, aber es will einfach nicht hängen bleiben. Es fehlen markante Melodien. Als Muttersprachler nimmt man die Musik wahrscheinlich anders wahr.
Good, folksy/pop vibes from this album, made entirely by a woman of color in London. It was eye-opening that I had never heard of Joan before since this album was so well done. Again, it's not music I would tune into, but I appreciated listening to her works.
Wow I've never see or heard of this woman ever. Let's go. So far she kind of reminds me of a female Van Morrison. I don't love her voice but I like the production value. Not really my thing. I feel like this should be played in This Is Us. 70s Rebecca and Jack would have been into her. Yeah this gets cheesier as it goes on. Reminds me of Harvey Bristol Blues Collection. Man I kinda cant wait for this album to be over. How did this make it on the list?!
So far this is fine. It's not really my style. I guess the songwriting is decent, and the singing is good, but it doesn't do anything for me in particular. After a few tracks, I feel like I wouldn't listen to this again. After a few more tracks, I like the ones that are kind of more funky but for the most part this is like generic '70s pop. It's not *bad* but it really doesn't grab me.
Love and Affection is glorious, but the rest of the album, while admirable, is less entertaining.
This feels like almost any other album a female has realised. This doesn't seem like it's set itself apart. Quite easy to tune out and forget about.
Wie Tracy Chapman. Aber schlechtere Songs und monotone Stimme. Habs vorher ausgemacht. Ein Punkt mehr weils schon so früh war.
She's been pretty much a household name in the UK for as long as a I can remember and yet almost everyone would struggle to name/hum one of her songs. Back in the 80s it always sounded like the sort of music old people listened to but even as a legit old person, I still don't feel adult enough to get Joan Armatrading.
her voice is very whiny to me… i’m sorry i tried to like it but it was like squeaky at times and it just made me mad. also this has never been my type of music so nothing really redeemed iteself
Pros: - First time hearing this album (i think) and possibly artist too. Overall the sound is really nice and cohesive; by the time her voice comes in on the first track it was pretty much exactly what I was expecting and my ears wanted to hear to match the instrumentation. - The instrumentation and recording are all really well done. I love that first piano run up in the first song only seconds after the acoustic guitars set the tone. The second track also has some nice behind-the-scenes piano/keyboard lines. - Love the tempo / meter change in the second song about halfway in. Songs that change tempo/feel in pop music are kind of rare these days so it's nice to hear one here that is drastic but still within the overall vibe of the song - really nice flow to the album, the placement of the tracks are really great. that's usually a gripe of mine with any style of music but specifically with singer songwriter-y styles it can be pretty bad at times. Cons: - not a lot of memorability for me Misc: - While it's a nice album, it doesn't have a lot of standouts for me, and in context of 1001 albums you need to hear, I think it's probably in the lower 40% so I'm giving it a 2/5.
Dit is mij iets te rustige muziek. De stem gaat me op den duur ook irriteren. Sorry. Het nummer "Love And Affection" maakt het wel een beetje goed.
I want to like this: Brummie ikon and all that, but really it's fairly dull seventies singer-songwriter stuff. Sorry Joan.
oh, this is not for me. Snooze. Love and Affection is a good song, but the rest of this record just makes no impression on me.
this feels like being stuck in a dentists waiting room. one of those ones where they have a tv on the wall but its inexplicably tuned in to smooth radio. still better than having to watch this morning or loose women.