Joan Armatrading

I adore 1970s rock and pop: most of my top albums so far have been from this decade, and I like to think of it as an area I’m quite knowledgeable on. That said, I wasn’t familiar with any of Joan Armatrading’s work, and immediately felt guilty about it after hearing this album. She’s undoubtedly a hero of the 1970’s singer-songwriter crowd in Britain, with a tremendous voice, lovely guitar work and an honest, direct songwriting style. “Joan Armatrading”, her third album, is a solid demonstration of all these areas. Producer Glyn Johns called it the best album he’d worked on… and he worked with The Beatles! I’ll start with the heart. “Love and Affection” is the key track here: the album’s centrepiece and Armatrading’s most famous and most successful song. I’d never heard it before, and was imperceptibly transported from a sparse, wandering folk prelude to a grand romantic ballad, to a saxophone solo revelling in pure pop. After several listens, I was absolutely hooked. The most remarkable thing about the song is that it’s difficult to distinguish much of a hook or central melody in the freestyle vocal line, but it hardly matters. “Love and Affection” is about the power of a feeling, of emotion and love overriding everything else. It knocked me out. Elsewhere, there’s a blend of meaty, muddy grooves and tender balladry. “People” is a real standout, a hard-edged soul track finished off with an immensely satisfying key change and a saturated fuzzy guitar solo. “Join the Boys” is a sleazy, bluesy number to strut through a seedy bar to, “Like Fire” has a rhythmic acoustic guitar motif to die for, and “Water with the Wine” bears one of the album’s stand-out melodies, casting Armatrading in a lighter, playful light (real echoes of Joni Mitchell). At the album’s close, “Tall in the Saddle” marries both the album’s key styles, with a seamless last-minute switch into fifth gear. On the ballad side, I loved “Someone Who Loves You” for its backing vocals, and the warmth emanating through “Down to Zero”’s earthy production. There’s a lot of great material here and I really wanted to absolutely love this album, but on the whole it isn’t completely doing it for me yet. Despite some really great songs, there were some tracks that felt a bit unfocused and meandering: “Save Me” and “Help Yourself” haven’t made much of a connection with me on the first few plays, and it would have been nice to hear some more of the tight grooves in the mould of “People”, or the apex reached in “Love and Affection.” Armatrading’s performance, though, is superb.

Good, lacked interest in the second half as it felt a little repetitive with the instrumentals

I enjoyed this more on my second listen, still not quite enough to reach 4 stars but hey, maybe next time

Good. This seems to be the blueprint for the likes of Tracy Chapman and others. The first few tracks are really good, but it somewhat fizzles out towards the end. Still, 3/5

Leuk album. Niets bijzonders

This feels like maybe it was a Very Important Album once upon a time. Not to me. Best track: Love and Affection

Pretty expected to be less soft because it is labelled as rock. Good background music while working

77/100: An enjoyable album to listen to. I've never heard of Joan Armatrading before (by the way, that has to be a fake last name right?), but this definitely sounded like something I would listen to regularly. Nothing hits like good acoustic guitar rock. The song "Like Fire" really stuck out to me. The opening riff sounds like Eric Clapton covering the opening riff of "Neon," which is obviously high praise. On that note, to me, this album sounded like if you took Eric Clapton and substituted his blues influence with soul. That's a pretty cool combination, and definitely not a fusion I can say I've ever heard before.

-"Water With The Wine" has like a funky groove and solid drums going on -A couple of okay tunes, nothing mind-blowing. Probably riding between a 2 and a 3

I enjoyed this album while listening, but can't really remember it afterwards. Not the most attention-grabbing, although I don't see that as a bad thing - it was a nice accompaniment to a stormy morning. It perhaps deserves another more attentive listen.

the intermittent deep-voice snippet on "Love and Affection" is a wonderful easter egg. this song builds really well, not surprising that it looks like this was the standout single from the record. overall pleasant album

3/10, 30%

Wasn't familiar with it, it wasn't bad, something I could listen to in the background

Ok.

A surprise album that I didn’t expect much from, but was packed with nuance and thoughtfully done throughout. Water with the Wine was my standout.

Good voice

Kinda slow, wasn’t bad tho

6/10

Not bad at all. Nice and easy listening. Would listen again.

Talented singer/songwriter I've never heard of before. Some of these songs could be mistaken for being a part of the late 80s/ early 90s Lilith Fair crop of female singer/songwriters. Doesn't necessarily all feel like it's from the mid-70s.

Really good

Very nice album but not really my vibe.

Fine

Definitely an interesting album with some powerful options, but nothing that makes me want to go back.

Not really any bad songs but there was some forgettable/skippable ones. Pretty decent album though I liked this lady

Interesting album, saved one.

3.5. Quite good. never heard of her before.

Such a distinctive voice - easy listening. I've always loved 'Love and Affection' and listened to it a lot in my early teens. Some definite 'album songs' on here, though. 2.5/5

Chill

I was surprised to read that this album came out in the 70s. To me it sounded like it was from the 90s, plucked from a Lilith Fair lineup. I listened more closely after learning of my error. It reminded me a lot of Tracy Chapman also. While I appreciate her talent and enjoyed the album, it’s doubtful I would listen to this again.

Prefs: Down to Zero, Help Yourself, Join the Boys, Tall in the Saddle Moins pref: Save Me

Fun little Friday album that I listened to late Thursday night. Nothing to write home about but at least it felt different than all the other 3 star albums we’ve had recently.

Got excited for this one when I saw Apple Music describe Joan here as "West Indies-born," expecting something with a tropical flair. However, it's more of just singer-songwriter/pop type stuff. Still, it's not bad at all! Some great guitar work, and she's got a cool voice. It definitely sounds more modern than 1976, credit due for that. Nothing super memorable unfortunately, which is what I was hoping for, but it's solid. I'll keep a couple tracks. Favorite tracks: Like Fire, Down to Zero, Save Me. Album art: The cover here too had me expecting something out of our ordinary wheelhouse for this list. There's a cool '70s flair here, and I'm digging the death glare. 3.5/5

I was not previously aware of this artist but I did enjoy the album, especially the sax accompaniment. Save Me had serious Joni Mitchell vibes, Like Fire reminded me of Tom Waitts, People had very relatable lyrics, and I think my favorite was Join the Boys which had a great funk feel.

I went into this expecting to not like it based on the album description, but then the first song really caught me off guard. I ended up really enjoying it. Unfortunately, it was kind of downhill after that for me. The rest of the album wasn't particularly exciting to me.

3.5 - A little different - sometimes good, sometimes strange. “Love and Affection” encapsulates some of what I like and dislike (dislike: the bass vocals, like: the saxophone solo). “Like Fire” sounds like Dave Matthews at his best, minus some wonky guitar noodling. “Water With the Wine” is funky until you consider the date rape.

When I started the album I liked it. By the time I got to the end I was kind of bored. It was all pretty similar and nothing really stuck out to me.

A fine album.

Enjoyable listen 6.9

I liked it a lot more than I thought I was going to like it. Funky at times.

Lovely voice but beyond that, not my thing.

3.5

Love and affection is brilliant. The rest was just okay.

I loved Joan Armatrading’s voice and most of the songs were great.

Not my go-to music of choice, but this album is very wholesome

Lots of talent, but a bit too mellow for my taste

Cette personne nous a très bien raconté sa vie.

Genre: Folk Rock 3/5 A rather generic folk album considering the not-too-generic source. Joan Armatrading, born and raised in the former British colonies in the West Indies, a woman who grew up wanting nothing more than to play guitar all day, occupies a space that is usually relegated to white men. While her appearance may not be the usual that you may see in this genre, the music itself is generally pretty flat and stale, which to me is the norm in most full-length takes on Folk/Folk Rock. As far as general highlights go, Down to Zero is a neat little folk ditty, probably the best sounding song on the whole record, but it doesn't do very much. Soon thereafter, the tracklist all eventually bleeds together into a calm and soft, yet tepid and bland, background mush. I enjoyed the outro, Tall in the Saddle, as well, but again it's not a track that does a whole lot. Glyn Johns, the album's producer, said this was the best album he was ever associated with (this is the guy who engineered Abbey Road, mind you...), and critics have made this their darling, but it all reeks of self-importance. Not to put down Joan, but for me, her music does little to add to the overall folk mix, and unfortunately music critics tend to focus on the artist's skin color rather than the content within sometimes, inflating these albums beyond what they actually are. Joan Armatrading seems like a very nice lady, but it doesn't make her music any less bland than the next fella's.

nice album from an often forgotten 70s talent. Probably stick to the Greatest Hits though

Pretty meh. Liked “Join the Boys” and the acoustic guitar segments on “Like Fire”

I recognize this can be good, but didn't hit me. A little too soft folky. Some fun guitar in places, I liked it in Tall in The Saddle.

I get the impression that this album was an important milestone in the glacial evolution of the culture of the music industry. Regardless of how accurate that assumption is, I am sure that this had a positive effect on the "If you can see it, you can be it" scales over the years since this album's release.

Gøy 🙂

Has stood the test of time. Bill - 3.8 Shannah - 3 Conor - 3 (3.27/5)

Some fine pop/country rock. Water With The Wine is great.

Sounds more like something from the late 60s than 76, but it's pretty competent. Favourites: "Love And Affection", "Join The Boys", "Tall In The Saddle"

Joan Armatrading has produced some great, albeit inconsistent, albums down the years and can turn out memorable songs. 'Love and Affection', found here, is probably her most famous - deservedly so, it's gorgeous. There's a pleasing restlessness to the rest of the album, as Armatrading explores a range of moods and approaches. It may not always stick first time around but the songwriting is top notch and the proceedings are held together nicely by Armatrading's ringing guitar attack. One to sit with, but patience has its rewards.

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.

Some standout songs, ended uptempo. Some slower forgettable ones throughout the middle.

3/5, first listen. Very nice

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...

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....

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 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.

Chilled and soulful folk sound Strand of tracks - help yourself - love & affection - Join the boys

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.

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

Tracy Chapman from Temu

Not quite cutting through

This was fine, nothing special. I enjoyed listening to this, but I really don't feel compelled to listen again.

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.

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.

det blandar och ger. inte helt överens med det här albumet

Just about above average singer songwriting. Hard for me to muster any strong feelings for this either way really.

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

Favourite tracks: love and affection, join the boys, tall in the saddle

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 wanted to enjoy this more than I did. There's some lovely stuff here and there but nothing too memorable

Had never heard of her and enjoyed listening through the album.

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

cute plata very kosy 3/5

Dated in terms of arrangement and production but still some powerful, affecting songs.

Not much to say about this one. I liked the sound and the voice and it was a quality album

Mwah

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.

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.

Most of this passed me by with a few decent tracks

pretty good, pleasant background music!

Sounds good, but it's pure background music to me. Really can't see why this is on the list.

Another good listen.

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.

Never properly listened to her music before

classic sophisticated 70s pop

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.

It was ok, not my favorite

Bon album rock/blues. À réécouter

Soulful voice, music ranges from activist folk to R&B. Fun drums

Not my cup of tea.

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.

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.

It's decent - gets better as it goes on. But I think sounds rather dated now (which is fair, it is)

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

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.

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

Solid

Tunnelmallinen levy, ei ihan paska.

Siisti levy, aurinkoiseen lauantaihin ison kahvin äärelle

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

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

Decent album. It has a funk feel to it. None of the songs are really memorable.

Had never heard before. Quite enjoyed

Had not heard of her in the 70s... Kind of wish I had. ..

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

Fine music to cook to

Brings the funk... sometimes Does not supply a suitable M25 vibe

Nice vibes, but only a couple of stand-out songs.

Good background music

A couple of good songs

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.

Tracy Chapman vibes 🎸👐

🎙🎼🎸

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

Delightful.

oh wow it's a woman singing? beautiful voice in down to zero! help yourself is good water with wine is meh

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.

Reminded me of Tracy Chapman. Only one great song and maybe a couple good songs on the album.

This was a nice listen. Like something your quirky cousins would play while you have lunch at their place.

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.

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.

Interesante, me recordó un poco al estilo de Harrison.

Normal, little boring

I enjoyed this one much more than I expected. Good vibe and good acoustic sound.

Great opening song.

Das hätte ich besser abends in Ruhe gehört. Gefällt mir, aber auch nicht herausragend.

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.

Wanted to listen to this as only knew Love & Affection. It was Ok.

Most of the songs are dull, but when she shines, she shines

Catchy folk rock with flavors of soul, funk and pop. This was really a nice listen.

Surprisingly Good!

Really enjoyed it. Some lovely guitar music. ***

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.

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.

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

Was a little too soft/elevatory for me.

Its good music, but not really my jam.

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.

7

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

Very cool. 3.5

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.

Strong female vocalist. Lady songwriter

Meh, not for me.

Great composition, not digging much else

Not really my wave

Singer/songwriter, nemt lyt

Good album

easy listening! she has a beautiful voice.

I like it, better then most esp from the era, good 70s rock

3.5 - surprised by this one. liked water with the wine, love and affection, and somebody who loves you

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.

Safe middle class parent music. Really well done but not for me

Some pretty good stuff here, but also some stuff that’s a bit too lush and schmaltzy upon first listen. Might re-visit it and change my rating. Very much up my alley

Buon musicista

She's got a great voice. It's not for me.

forgettable

Not for me. Seems without a genre.

Okay, just not my cup of tea

4/10

This was okay, I don't know. Pretty good voice and classic singer song writing, though it does not really tickle my fancy. After listening to some different stuff after I had forgotten about the album already, not the greatest sign. Strong 2, just for not being more memorable for me.

I found this exceedingly bland. There was very little of it that I can recall and nothing stood out, barring some nice percussive guitar playing. As if to confirm the blandness, she won an Ivor Novello award. Jamie Callum has won at least one. Phil Collins has six. This is the gold standard of music that is bland and“meaningful”. Next!

The positives are that it is nice to have a black, female, singer/songwriter represented amongst a sea of western white males. The downside is that this feels a little bit like music by numbers, like Joan Armatrading walked so Tracy Chapman could trudge. ‘Love and affection’ is a bit more interesting (just because of the slightly jilted cadence to it) but only comparatively so, the rest faded into the background and I’m afraid just passed me by.

1st song was nice

She’s got a really nice voice, but songs themselves come across a bit dull and generic to me. Nothing really stands out and it’s not something I think I will return to.

Boring if you’re under 50

Save me var Jo.. dusj synging Mye dusjsynging, veldig soft rock! Blir for rolig as Join the boys hadde potensiale med jazz men liker ikke sounden og blir fårr ute av Tune. People var kuleste. Like fire nice på strengene men liker ikke stemmen hans as

Chill, heilt greit, ikkje någe som fenge sånn veldig. Kult gitarspill, litt for frijazz synging for min del... Beste sang: Down to zero

Love her voice but one hit won’t get me to listen to the whole album.

No, you don't need to listen to this before you done. A lovely listen but nothing that screams vital. A new name for me, the first of many thus far, which is great. I imagine a black woman releasing this impacts the placement on the list.

Couldnt be arsed with this one

Fine. The songs felt pretty repetitive both musically and lyrically across the whole album. I didn’t really feel like any of them were very different from each other. She has a great voice so I would’ve liked some more slow stuff to highlight it but oh well.

I was listening to this while I was in a bad mood and it didn't cure it so yeah

I just don't like 70s folk music at all

Joan Armour-Plating, as we used to call her...a constant presence on every variety show on TV when this album came out. Unavoidable at the time, but barely remembered now. The rumour of her relationship with Blue Peter presenter Valerie Singleton was false, according to Val herself, who was a bit of a playa with the guys by all accounts, and never other women. Joan herself was lesbian, so an outsider when she wrote these songs. She had to pretend to be straight to be accepted back then. Hence the gendered love songs. If she wrote them now, she could swap all the "hes" and "hims" for "shes" and "hers" and no-one outside of the right wing cultists would bat an eyelid. She chose the medium of acoustic songwriting to express herself, and she did it well, listening back to her here for the first time in decades. However, I found her constant presence on TV annoying as a child and still can't shake that feeling, so going to give a low star rating. Also, it's bland AOR, definitely not my thing. I'm such a bad person. Oh, and Valerie was shagging a member of Joan's backing band, which is why they were seen together so often, in case you were wondering.

A bag full of meh. Surely nobody has ever uttered the phrase "Joan Armatrading is my favourite artist"

" Mom, can we have Tracy Chapman?" "No, there's Tracy Chapman at home." Tracy Chapman at home....

Such a strong vocalist and musician. But the vibe was just not for me.

She's got a good enough voice but the songs themselves are all just too slow/mid-tempo to really leave an impact. Maybe I wasn't in the mood for it since nothing is outright bad, just not for me. 2/5

Perhaps my morning run wasn't the ideal environment for this. Have to admit that I zoned out.

Love and Affection was pretty decent but the rest had me snoozing.

Soulalbum. Langweilig und brav.

i bet she's done better

Good grooves but nothing special, at least for me.

Not very memorable

not bad but kind of bland whatever singer songwriter stuff

mid

Eipä tämä oikein jäänyt mitenkään mieleen. Perus soittelua ja laulantaa. Ei ihan mid

I really liked her voice but found the music and lyrics to not be as good as I hoped. Being tired on a Monday morning at work probably did not help my rating

lots of enjoyable "singer-songwriter"-y tunes here made better by Joan's distinctive voice. But ultimately falls short of a "have to hear before you die" distinction.

I liked one of the tracks

Just really not my vibe. Maybe I was in a bad mood when i listened to it, i don't know, but I didn't really vibe with it, sorry

Steel guitar threatened to hook me in but then I lost interest

The songs sound mostly «OK» to me. It’s immaculately performed and produced though. Found myself skipping the most funky songs. Works as non-intrusive background, but not much more to me.

nice and calm

4.8 / 10

Not my thing. But it’s not bad.

Indiferença total. Voz ok, mas completamente esquecível. Nada aqui te prende. Pode passar. A expressão facial dela na capa do disco é idêntica à minha enquanto o ouvia. Indiferente. :| 2.5

Manque de ce je ne sais quoi qui me fait vraiment vibrer. Tall in the saddle, blues langoureux avec son riff qui m'a presque fait entrer en transe musicale, aurait pu être mon coup de coeur, jusqu'au changement de tempo. J'ai trouvé sa façon de chanter similaire à celui de Florence Welch sur Help Yourself et similaire à Sade sur Like Fire. A-t-elle été une influence pour elles?

Not my type of music

She sounds like she's a good song writer that needs others to sing her songs. There were two good ones on here and it was because of the instruments. Meh.

forgettable

Good debut from Ms Armatrading

This wasn't really my thing. She has a nice voice and the songs are well composed, but I just didn't vibe with it.

I have not heard this before. I may have heard a song off this from oldies radio at some point. There are some decent folk songs here, but a lot of this album has that mid/late 70s smooth rock sound that I really don’t care for and really ruins my enjoyment of most of it. There is one song toward the end that has some really cool guitar work, but it gets overpowered by the other instrumentation enough that it loses what it special about it. She’s got a nice voice at least.

This was not good but it was at least twice as good as that Mariah Carey bullshit.

Not my rype

I really ought to like Joan Armatrading: she’s a talented songwriter and her blend of folk-rock, blues, a touch of jazz and pop is something I certainly appreciate. But for some reason, her albums just don’t do it for me. Her third, self-titled album from 1976 doesn’t change that either. That might be down to the overly tame production, which seems terribly dated today. It might be down to Armatrading’s vocals, which, whilst not unemotional, are always a bit restrained. I find her music plain and simple – boring. There are other singer-songwriters who really grab me more.

This was fine. Didn't offend me in any way but I probably wouldn't stick it back on again either.

Kind of dull. She sounds like Shirley Bassey if Shirley Bassey was also a goat.

Well made, musically talented, but I don’t gave any desire to listen again. The songs just didn’t grab me.

Good album but nothing out of this world. She has better albums

Yeah it was fine, bit boring mostly

Great singer, great songwriter. This was a bit boring for me though

I like her voice, but songs are meh. But good if you’re in a chill mood and doing some crafting, me would thinks.

Again, very obviously influential. Her voice is FABULOUS. But her music isn't my jam.

No es mi tipo pero no es malo

Not for me

Boring and forgettable. It was way too safe for me

Wanted it to be over before it ended.

It was decent but not my kind of music

Dreadful

Beautiful, poetic lyrics but the sound is not my genre.

Only a fleeting few moments grabbed my attention. Favorite track: People

Eh, not my vibe but cool guitar solos

Ну нигерша поет кантри, дожили

Eerste album dat ik ooit op vinyl kocht was van Joan Armatrading. €2,50 bij Het Goed. Maar dat was niet dit album. Haar stem doet me helaas vrij weinig. En deze "we huren een team supervaardige sessiemuzikanten in" manier van een album opnemen doet me al helemaal niks

This was pretty standard, not too much jumped out. Sort of a worse version of tracy chapman, some of the horns elements were fun

2-3 klingt irgendwie alles gleich

It was kind of forgettable

to my unlearned ears this sounds like proto bonnie rait. I liked this for the most part and i had never heard of it before. good stuff

Helemaal niks mis met deze plaat. Een diepe stem, folk tracks met akoestische gitaar en af en toe best een bluesy of zelfs funky track of stuk ertussen. Helemaal niks mis mee. Maar ik vind er ook niet zoveel bijzonders aan eigenlijk. Eén nummertje opgeslagen maar verwacht dat ik later niet terug zal keren bij deze plaat. 6/10 Highlights Down to Zero

Not my vibe ~~

Not really my style of music but can appreciate the musicianship

Not my genre but nice singing. Liked love and affection alot tho

Boring as sin

I’ve never heard of her before, but enjoyed the album. Maybe not enough to seek it out again. But, enough that I’m glad to have the experience.

Fine. Boring. I didn’t hate it or love it. I know one song by her, but it was not on this album.

Was fine with a few songs and didn’t like a lot of the others

“I am not in love, but I’m open to persuasion”

Reminds me of Tracy Chapman.

realmente no es tan malo pero sentia pero la forma en que cantaba o pronunciaba ciertas palabras me pareció muy fastidioso y muy repetitivo

No es pot negar el talent però se durmió en vivo mentre l’escoltava. Potser no era el moment però li faltava xixa.

Meh

Don't believe her, she's not an arma trader, she's an Indian scammer

I almost doxxed my project name for this review but I managed to realize how dumb that would be in time. At this point, about 1000 albums in, I have heard enough music and said enough unique things to where all I can say is that an album is not for me. This is one of those many ones.

jsp pas la

An easy listen which each song having a different feel and surprise sound. Although no stand out songs, the album as a whole is a good listen.

Did not really do it for me :( I saved one song, "Love and Affection" and that's kind of the only thing stopping me from giving it a one

Meh

favourite songs - down to zero, somebody who loves you and tall in the saddle

Like I’m not obsessed. But we need to bring the keyboard back like how they used to use it. It’s so funky

The Aldi verdion of Tracy Chapman

Wat

I really loved Down to Zero but found myself losing interest around halfway.

Nett, aber habe mich nach kurzer Zeit gelangweilt.

not my vibe

It's decent, but kinda slow and not really for me.

Soft asmr type energy sleepy time tunes

Obviously very talented and at times I thought I would like it. However, I found it very dull and just not my cup of tea.

It’s another one of those albums which feels well set up, produced and with some good musicians (particularly the drums, and hey presto looking at the personnel there are two drumming greats). But here comes the but, the song writing just feels very flat, not one single song moved me an inch. We move on….

nothing wrong with the album just didnt vibe with it. HM: water with wine, save me

Never heard of this album or artist before, but I know there's only one genre you can belong to with an album named after yourself. That's right. More folky, singer-songwriter music. Might as well just crack this one open. Yup, on the money. Too easy with this genre, really. Anyways, this is fine. It's hard to feel strongly about folk, but for what this is it's a pretty alright time. There's a good bit of variety in the instrumental, and Armatrading is a solid vocalist. Admittedly, it loses my attention early on and I was left trailing behind for most of this album, but in all fairness I'm lethargic as fuck right now. "Down to Zero" is a good opener. There's a bit of an interesting blues/country influence in the instrumental, and Armatrading provides a solid vocal performance. "Help Yourself" is a better follow-up. The instrumentation is pretty great - very soothing. The acoustic guitars are very nice, and the atmospheric sounds hanging in the background is also pretty good. It kind of drags, but that first half is very solid. Book time. Where Armatrading fully realised her creative talent. Wide array of influences. Not sold yet - over to Wikipedia I go. Charted well in the UK. The album's producer said it was his favourite project. Decent critic backing. I meeeeeeean, this could do with a snub, right? The number of mega-influential, mega-successful, mega-acclaimed albums in the world surely exceeds the arbitrary 1001 limit, right? If only I had 1001 albums I liked that weren't already on this list, though I'm sadly a miserable bastard and probably only have a hundred. All this to say that I guess I can let this one slide. It's way less offensive than some of the other nobody albums on this list. I cosign this inclusion.

Like disco Tracy Chapman

I have no memory of ever listening

It's a nicely recorded album. But lacks memorable tracks.

O álbum começa com a pior música. Uma péssima decisão, obviamente. Logo depois, vem uma das melhores do álbum, com uma pegada muito mais sofisticada (principalmente no encerramento). Essa sequência representa bem o que foi esse álbum pra mim: uma grande inconsistência. Em alguns momentos senti que estava ouvindo um pop chato, em outros momentos, um jazz/fusion de alto padrão. Achei o lado 'B' consideravelmente melhor que o 'A'. Outro problema, visto que o normal é ser justamente o oposto. Em suma, não é um bom álbum, mas tem algumas músicas excelentes pra serem pescadas e colocadas em alguma playlist isolada. Melhor do álbum: "Like Fire". Pior do álbum: "Down To Zero".

É certamente um dos álbuns já feitos. A diva de fato canta muito, mas o estilo me recordou um pouco Alanis Morrissette e Fiona Apple, que eu não curto tanto. Muito música de rádio Alvorada (94,9 em BH). Vai passar batido

65

A fistful of wistful.

Ok wow lots of musical talent. Like instrumentally this album is stunning. My biggest glaring problem with this album is I just didn’t like Joan’s voice. Totally a personal and subjective take but there were only a few tracks I saved cause I truly didn’t enjoy her voice on these tracks. I would however, love to hear more from her cause musically I’m definitely a fan of what she creates, but put off by the vocals unfortunately.

Not really my cup of tea. Some decent tunes in here but very samey the whole way through.

Giving this a 2 - not really for me. Enjoyed the instrumentality but none of the songs really jumped out to me. Appreciated the wide range of instruments used — slide, synth, saxophone. I think today this album would just be an acoustic guitar

Was completely unfamiliar with this artist. Quintessential 70s sound, reminds me of background music to that 70s show. Not my favorite but still enjoyable

Not my jam

Not bad at all, just not really my cup of tea. I can appreciate the quality. Her voice is strong and the production is clean, but the album didn't fully connect with me. Still, “Water With the Wine” and “People” stood out as highlights and felt more emotionally resonant. If half-stars were an option, this would probably be a 2.5. But since I’ve given stronger albums a 3, this lands at a 2. Solid effort, just not something I see myself revisiting.

A couple good songs here, but not an enjoyable listen.

ne zha

It’s fine? Can’t tell if this is just another provincial curio. But, of interest to The Wire fans - and I coincidentally happen to be doing a s2 rewatch this week - is Clarke Peters showing up adding his quite sonorous baritone (Lester Smooth!) to one tune. Alas, that’s about all that pops for me. Somebody Who Loves You has a pretty stellar melody and I feel like someone ripped it off, but I can’t place who or when.

decent folky album

Not for me

She has a pretty great voice, but there is nothing noteworthy going on here musically or lyrically.

Hvem er dette? Nå lytter jeg blindt. Sukkersøt piano rock. Kjenner jeg blir litt kvalm av det. Har ikke Elton John allerede gjort dette bedre uansett? Det blir heldigvis litt bedre i neste låt, her swinger det faktisk til tider Love and Affection er visst den største hiten, og det er jeg enig i. Dette er en god singel. Og så blir det helt jævlig igjen; redd meg fra middelmådige ballader. B-siden begynner med enda en alright låt. Kommer til å være glemt så snart siste note er spilt, men jeg pines ikke igjennom. People høres ut som den vil være Sly & the Family Stone. Kan jeg få høre på Sly istedet værsåsnill? Like Fire liker jeg. Gi meg en singel med Love and Affection på A-siden og Like Fire på B-siden, så har vi en 4/5 singel. Resten kan godt forbli i glemmeboka der det allerede har innskrevet seg. Tall in the Saddle er faktisk også ganske decent. Den begynner litt kjipt, som om Joan vil holde deg på pinebenken og forsikre seg om at kun dedikerte lyttere som blir med på hele denne reisen skal få lov til å vrikke litt på rockefoten. Hvis hun bare slutta å skrive ballader, så kunne skiva vært alright. Jeg måtte faktisk høre den igjen og tror jeg bytter ut Like Fire med Tall in the Saddle, og så blir det en sterkere 4/5 singel. Buildupen er faktisk ikke så ille som jeg først trodde. Likevel, det her er jævlig ujevnt. Store deler av det tenkte jeg 1/5, men det redder seg litt ved å ha høyere lows på B-siden enn A-siden. 2 og en halv gode låter lager ikke et godt album, noe fabrikkpop-skivene fra 2000-tallet har demonstret klart og tydelig. Jeg begynner å bli litt lei av hvor mye OK musikk som blir servert til oss som om den var essensiell og tidløs. Blir jeg kansellert hvis jeg sier at dette er et token-album? I frykt for klager på at 1001 "is so white" og har for få kvinner, slår de to fluer i en smekk med å inkludere det ene rockealbumet de fant av en svart kvinne.

A mix between Joni Mitchell and Janis Joplin. I enjoy it and mum would really like it but it just wasn’t the vibe today.

Can't help but see the positives in this album despite it not making me feel much. The guitar work and vocals are brilliant, and there is a soulful feel to the record that does sit well. However, there wasn't a single moment on this album that made me feel anything special. It's a pleasant enough listen but I imagine I won't remember too much about it.

Love and Affection

I really enjoyed the first track, but unfortunately the rest didn't really hit those same notes for me.

Who the hell is this person?

Fine

Pretty folksy

really wanted to like it but just didn’t

No private session used for Spotify and know idea what I was getting in to. Judging a book by the cover it will be in the 70's style of complicated acoustic guitar behind mumbly singing. But no, guitar yes, definitely not mumbly singing, nice voice with minimal backing instrumentation. Singer songwriter stuff.