Reviews (page 13 of 13)
Fantastically great stuff.
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
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
Solid
Tunnelmallinen levy, ei ihan paska.
Siisti levy, aurinkoiseen lauantaihin ison kahvin äärelle
Moody but okay.
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.
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.
Beautiful music. The instruments. Her voice. The lyrics.
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
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.
What a voice and lyrics. Just fabulous
Beautiful and relaxing
Really enjoyed
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.
Decent album. It has a funk feel to it. None of the songs are really memorable.
Had never heard before. Quite enjoyed
Pretty good stuff.
Had not heard of her in the 70s... Kind of wish I had. ..
Pop soul poderoso
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.
Letting out plenty of data jarring moans, this one had plenty of smooth soul
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
Really pleasant, smooth vocals.
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.
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
Pretty chill jazzy background vibe
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.
A couple of good songs
Will listen to again
This whole album was awesome. Incredible vocal range and style from song to song carried by an eclectic compilation of instrumentals.
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.
Powerful voice and lovely guitar - A great 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.
Tapers off towards the end, powerful vocals and rhythms throughout
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.
This album S L A P S
Groovy shit, kinda like a non depressed tracy chapman
It's smooth like a wave. It also smacks you in the face like a wave
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?!
She’s got a story and you know exactly how she’s feeling. She’s a bad bitch
Really good. Very original mix of folk,rock,funk,jazz etc.
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
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.
Funky
Inventive, beautiful, and poetic. There's so much energy and soul in these tracks, it's incredible front to back.
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.
Really nice opening. Her voice is GORGE AHHHHH This is a 4 defo
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.
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.
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
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.
Really good album, never listened to her before
This is the most disappointing album ever. Very unremarkable
I thought it was fun. Brummie queen as well 😍
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.
И так. Моя оценка 3 с минусищем. Толь из за песни Somebody Who Loves You.
Great opening song.
So lovely and warm. A gem
Das hätte ich besser abends in Ruhe gehört. Gefällt mir, aber auch nicht herausragend.
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.
Hab zwar mehrmals reingehört, ist aber nicht wirklich was hängen geblieben.
Very nice and moody experience
She's so chill and fun! Like Joni Mitchell but more R and B
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.
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.
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!
Wanted to listen to this as only knew Love & Affection. It was Ok.
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
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. ***
Didn't really pay attention
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
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.
Enjoyable 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.
Very enjoyable.
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
Las negras pueden hacer mas cosas que soul.
“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
Very good
Le daré un 4 porque canta muy bien. No conocía ninguna de sus canciones.
It is good!
Just a boring album and the singing is way overrated. 4/10.
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!
Was a little too soft/elevatory for me.
Have always liked her voice and storytelling
Its good music, but not really my jam.
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.
indistinct, forgettable. wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it.
Genre-bending and before her time!
not bad but couldn't get into it
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.
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.
Well that was nice!
7
somewhat mediocre and inconsistent buttttttt really liked the last song and she had a good voice
quite cool i’d say
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 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.
Very cool. 3.5
Beautiful stuff
false
Never knew this existed. Dug it
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
Good album, production value was pretty amazing
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.
Nice, mellow, soft rock. Reminds me of Carole King.
Folksy, with depth. Really enjoyed the entire thing.
Meh, not for me.
Surprisingly great album, liked the combination of voice and instruments, shows a great variety of genres and songs, without becoming too much
Beautiful voice
Great composition, not digging much else
Not really my wave
Very good. Soulful and melodic, gives me a Janis Joplin vibe.
Excellente chille muziek met prachtige stem.
Singer/songwriter, nemt lyt
Not gonna lie, I was surprised by this one
Good album
1976. Key Songs: Love And Affection, Like Fire
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
this was great; short but sweet
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
Never heard this before…. One song was semi familiar. Really enjoyed it though. Soulful with good tunes!