Joan Armatrading

Very good just not something just on

Joan Armatrading has a great singing voice, but I found most of the songs quite uninspiring. The track Like Fire stood out as having a more upbeat guitar melody.

Honestly, not my vibe. A few songs that I really enjoyed but mostly a very melancholy album

It’s good but super generic.

oh my god this is absolutely incredible i have found a new artist - get me this on vinyl PRONTO

Beautiful, but interchangeable.

Nunca había escuchado a Joan. Me encantó su voz, música, el ambiente que genera.

it honestly was fun while it lasted! I've never heard of her and she really did come out swinging with very good melodies and vocal harmonies. It was soothing at times, and funky at times. The guitars are very front and center with her vocals, and everything else falls nicely into place to support her act. She puts together some really somber and direct lyricism regarding love and heartbreak and longing. I am pleasantly surprised and can say that I would recommend this to people who love pop, singer songwriter music that haven't heard of her yet. A very nice inclusion to the list. I think somewhere around a 7.5-8.5 is fair, so I'll rate it 4 stars. Very sick, let's include more albums in this vein...too much slop on here.

Singer songwriters from the 70’s are overrated.

i wasn't listening too hard 3/5

Quite beautiful never heard of it

Really great voice

I feel like this album is the pre-cursor to Florence and the Machine. Its definitely Tapestry adjacent. Surprisingly good.

No skip album!

the first song started and i thought “uh sounds like tracy chapmap” and then it proceeded to sound nothing like tracy chapman for the rest of the album. overall i enjoyed this, but first half was stronger.

Not great, not bad. Just meh.

A dear family friend once introduced me to Armatrading’s music, and he said something I’ve never forgotten: “She writes things the way we’d expect them to be sung, but then she sings them in a way we’d never expect.” I think that sums her up in a nutshell. Her lyrics are full of urgency and empathy, with themes we can all relate to. Then, as she sings, it's almost taking form as that inner voice inside all of us, reassuring us that everything will be OK. The opening song, “Down to Zero”, is a classic that does exact that and strikes a chord deep into my soul. At a time when female singer-songwriters were still carving out their place, it’s really cool to hear how she brought a new style of playing and composing to folk, funk, pop and rock while keeping it all fresh. Her origins as a Black British woman born in St. Kitts only added to her uniqueness. Her approach is raw, and she sings with real, honest emotion. Most of these songs are strong, delivered with feeling and empathy, and I particularly enjoy the guitar work. I’m not wild about the funkier numbers, though. They sometimes sound a bit generic by today’s standards, but they’re held together by solid production and Armatrading’s endless charisma. So, after a few relistens, it’s a solid 4 from me. Another great surprise from this list, like Carole King and Sade.

Not really my style

I give this one a bland/5

real damn good....

not bad, just not for me

Nice and relaxed, blended into the background a bit for me

Never heard of her before, but I listened to this album 4 times and it got better every single time. amazing find

This is fantastic! How have I never heard of Joan Armatrading before? I loved this album and also discovered that she's still active... Last album came out in 2024.

Tall in the Saddle is fucking dopeeeeee Really bloody strong vocals on this, i remember my mum telling me about her back in the day and dismissing it. Why would I want to listen to my mum's recommendation? Turns out she was spot on

The notes of peak 70s funk are delightful. Not a one of these songs was a miss.

She's so good!

Can’t believe I’ve never heard of this. She has a great voice and also good music

Wow, just wow. It’s so good

Wow, okay, Joan Armatrading, I see you. A funky Tracy Chapman. I'm here for it.

Not as fun but great vocals and lyrics just not so interesting

She’s cool

7/10

Joan Armatrading's voice is unbelievable. I didn't love Join the Boys but I was taken with the rest right from the beginning of Down to Zero. The harmonies on Love and Affection are like nothing else in the best possible way.

Love and Affection is such a magnificent song - the rest of the album pales in comparison.

Mellow and Folky. I wouldn't have guessed that it was from the 70s. It wasn't bad, but it really did nothing for me.

Not for me. I can see why some people might like it and it was perfectly listenable, but I will never have the desire to put it on.

It started in a promising kind of way but as it progressed, the acoustic jazz and funk style really grated. She has a nice voice but I really couldn't get into the songs themselves.

One of the best discoveries I've made this year. It's incredible how the 70s never cease to amaze me with the number of hidden gems that exist there. 5 stars

Overall Rating - 3.35/5 (6.70/10). Overall solid folk-rock. Nothing great, but worth listening to.

I don’t normally like jazz/blues, but I loved the folk pop blend with the jazz influence here!

Nice. She has a great voice and there's an impressive range of styles and influences.

I am not familiar with Joan Armatrading's other music, but on this album I kept coming back to a Christine McVie meets Tracy Chapman comparison.

Like Tracey but with added PHONK! I like it. Like fire is a banger.

Not specifically for me, but honestly jammed out after join the boys. Guitar and instrumentals were awesome. Very middle of the road due to personal taste conflicting with clearly a good album. Got into the mood of it by the end though which was fun.

What a lovely listen. One of my dad’s favourite artists and it is high time I listened to one of her albums. Love and Affection is clearly the stand out track (very closely followed by Tall in the Saddle) but there isn’t a dud on here and her personality shines through from top to tail. 4/5

Interesting but not exciting

That’s a good album

Nice listen

Yawn

This was enjoyable. Great voice. Kind of mellow and a little funky

I don’t ever think I’ve heard of Joan Armatrading before. It was a pleasant listen as a change of pace.

3.5

Folk/jazz in the vain of Joni Mitchell, not done as well as Joni, but still good. 4 stars

I thought this album started off really good, but kind of fizzled out as it went on. "Down to Zero" and "Love and Affection" are cool tunes though. 3 stars.

Not too bad. Quite Only Fools And Horses-core as Someone Who Loves You gets used in the credits of the 1990 Christmas special Rodney Come Home. Maybe not this whole album because it does get a bit samey but I would definitely take a few tracks and smush em together with a heap of Sade, Simply Red and Fat Larry’s Band for a Only Fools And Horses-themed entry. Lovely jubbly. Bonnet de douche. This time next year we’ll have finished this list and be millionaires!

An artist I had never heard of, and wow, am I hooked! What a phenomenal album. Is it blues, jazz, folk, R&B...? Joan's voice is so versatile, the instrumentation never ceases to amaze, and the production quality and panning are top notch. My interest was piqued at every moment! "Love and Affection" and "Tall in the Saddle" may be my favorite tracks.

Альбом хорош только тем что эти песни не раздражают. В остальном не запоминающиеся песни с банальными аранжировками

Help Yourself

Bra låtar rakt igenom. Ingen som är rent dålig. Gillar Water with the wine och Down to zero bäst.

Pretty good but flew right over me, was funny immediately getting autoplayed Tracey Chapman after this, definitely her precursor.

This was fine, feel like I probably should’ve liked this more than I actually did 2.5

Enjoyed it.

Solid album of bluesy folk. Great voice, missing a stand out track/hit.

once again not my kind of music but it was ok to listen to

(5/1089) I've enjoyed listening to this album at most part. Good songwriting. I think I'll need to listen to it again. Favorite: Water With The Wine, Love And Affection, Somebody Who Loves You Least favorite: Like Fire 8/10

Pretty good, but lacks something..

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

never heard of her but really enjoyed this album. quite the range

Buon musicista

Fantastic album.

5 - AVERAGE

Really lovely. Joan Armatrading is one of those performers who has been on my radar for many years but who I rarely listen to. It was a nice start to my day.

3 stars

Very Jazzy and soulful. Great depth of sound and lyrics. There was something about this one I just really liked.

When I was in graduate school I embarked on an archival project that required me to read every major British music magazine published in 1976. My research was about the Sex Pistols and the rise of punk rock in the UK, but I was shocked to see nearly every mag list this album as the Album of the Year. I had never even heard of Joan Armatrading, but here was a stack of primary sources showing me how important she once was. Maybe the lesson is that today's critical darling is tomorrow's forgotten pop star. Listening to this album, though, I can understand how/why listeners were hungry for something that felt "authentic," musically sophisticated, but not corny or cliche. Armatrading hits all these marks, but I do think the songwriting is relatively uneven -- there are a few songs here that go nowhere or are totally unmemorable. Nevertheless, I'm really happy to learn about Armatrading and her music.

Raw Talent. I love how she switches between different genres and puts so much feeling into her music. Unfortunately it just doesn't do much for me.

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

Strangely enough I feel like her voice and this production would have been better served on slower tracks. Tall in the saddle first half for example was my favorite and the rest was cool

nice blend of folky, bluesy, jazzy rock stuff

Really nice voice. Like that it has a bit of grit to it. Good songs too.

self-titled third album release by joan armatrading, recorded in london and said to be her true commercial breakthrough in her discography. taking her time to write a lot of new material by herself, her work is written in a way which aligns with many listeners of different shapes and sizes. not only did the release work well for her, but producer glyn johns has stated it was the best project he ever had a part in. it's a really nice listening day for me when i check out an artist i'm not too familiar with, and i ended liking what i hear. it's folk rock but it's got a real classy vigor to it. i really like the funky guitar playing, and if there's one thing i like, it's women vocalists with more deeper, husky voices. i really really need more of that. a lot of tracks blend right in with each other to the point where if it was just one big continuous song, there wouldn't be much of a difference. her music and her lyrics are really easy to pick up and digest if you're listening to this for the first time; it feels like a gentle massage. this album is remarkable, it made my work day go by smoothly.

Pretty good

A fun discovery. Enjoyed her voice and most of the songs on the album. I'll explore more of her music.

forgettable

Wow, just lovely. I was surprised that this came out in the 70s because you can really feel the throughline to Tracy Chapman, so much so that I thought it was contemporary to Chapman’s work. Armatrading’s voice just cuts straight to my heart and overall I loved the vibe of the album!

She had a great voice! I've seen her name before and always found the name Armatrading so interesting. what does it mean?? There was a richness to these songs that I appreciated even though I maybe expected a bit more daring. But a really nice listen (and it led me to a little Wikipedia deep dive on Saint Kitts and Nevis, her birthplace)

Nice background music, but little stood out beyond Love and Affection

I am pretty (a lot) mad that this is the first time I am hearing of her?

thoughts: - women playing guitar, let's goooooooo - decent, but not my fave

Classic production of the time and Glyn Johns. I enjoyed the vocal production, sometimes the vocal delivery wasn’t my favorite but I know it’s kinda “of the time”. I really liked ‘Join the Boys’ & ‘Somebody Who Loves You’ & “People”. Overall, I don’t typically listen to this style of songwriting/production but I enjoyed myself to some feel good 70s pop rock!

Unique and beautiful voice, excellent production quality, and overall very good album. Liked the 70s soft rock/singer songwriter vibes and some tracks were very unique.

J'ai bien aimé cet album

Not for me. Seems without a genre.

Okay, just not my cup of tea

6/10 - Pretty medium. Maybe this was on the beginning end of the lady Folk/Rock/Pop star trend. Not bad but not memorable.

I really liked the song Love and Affection. The rest of the album was fine but it felt like pretty standard 70's acoustic singer songwriter stuff. Light 6/10

It was good enough that I'm going to listen to it in the future

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.