Joan Armatrading's abandonment of A&M Records after two decades makes sense when you consider that the long-time independent has been swallowed by PolyGram.
What doesn't make sense is where she went, the virtually moribund RCA, which managed to release this label debut as though it were a state secret.
The album itself is an interesting mixture of the styles Armatrading has employed at various times in her career, from the spare, intimate approach associated with her "Love And Affection" phase to the pop-rock of "Me Myself I." (The coulda-been-a-hit is "Can't Stop Loving You.") Many of the tracks are augmented by strings courtesy of the London Metropolitan Orchestra, though the Kronos Quartet checks in for one track.
Romance is the subject, as usual, and, as usual, it is treated in sometimes quirky ways, such as in "Shapes And Sizes," which advises that you express your love while you can because "Obituary columns are full of love." Hmm.
This is an album for the cult, which is appropriate, since they're the only ones liable to know of its existence.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | In Your EyesJoan Armatrading | Joan Armatrading | Play | 02:42 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Everyday BoyJoan Armatrading | Joan Armatrading | Play | 04:37 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Merchant of LoveJoan Armatrading | Joan Armatrading | Play | 04:49 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | Shapes and SizesJoan Armatrading | Joan Armatrading | Play | 03:15 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Back on the RoadJoan Armatrading | Joan Armatrading | Play | 02:42 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Lost the LoveJoan Armatrading | Joan Armatrading | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | SongsJoan Armatrading | Joan Armatrading | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Would You Like to DanceJoan Armatrading | Joan Armatrading | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | Recommend My LoveJoan Armatrading | Joan Armatrading | Play | 04:29 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | Can't Stop Loving YouJoan Armatrading | Joan Armatrading | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | Shape of a PonyJoan Armatrading | Joan Armatrading | Play | 04:42 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | TroubleJoan Armatrading | Joan Armatrading | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 13 | Byond The Blue | Joan Armatrading | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 50 mins | 115 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Acuña | Guest Artist, Percussion |
| 2 | Wolfgang Amadeus | Engineer |
| 3 | Joan Armatrading | Composer, E-Bow, Guitar, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 4 | Andrew Brown | Director |
| 5 | Boz Burrell | Penny Whistle |
| 6 | Todd Cochran | Keyboards |
| 7 | B.J. Cole | Slide Guitar |
| 8 | Terry Evans | Vocals (Background) |
| 9 | Hojah Farah | Accordion, Guitar |
| 10 | Willie Green, Jr. | Vocals (Background) |
| 11 | Darryl Jones | Bass |
| 12 | Manu Katché | Drums |
| 13 | Kronos Quartet | Guest Artist, Strings |
| 14 | Tony Levin | Bass |
| 15 | London Metropolitan Orchestra | Strings |
| 16 | The Memphis Horns | Guest Artist, Horn |
| 17 | Greg Phillinganes | Keyboards |
| 18 | Perry Robinson | Keyboards |
| 19 | Benmont Tench | Keyboards |
| 20 | David Tickle | Producer |
| 21 | Ray Taff Williams | Vocals (Background) |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |