Love Saint Joan
posted by on June 27 at 13:13 PM
When I say the name Joan Armatrading do you have any idea who the hell I’m talking about?
Short history: Armatrading is a West Indies-born/UK-bred singer/songwriter who’s been putting out records since the ’70s. Her best-loved stuff comes from the late-’70s/early ’80s—1976’s Joan Armatrading, 1977’s Show Some Emotion, 1980’s Me Myself I—and her “greatest hits,” as they were, were an integral part of my sensitive high school and collegiate years. (Also falling during my college years: Tracy Chapman, whose status as a black woman with an acoustic guitar drew immediate comparisons to Armatrading and scorn from Armatrading fans, who viewed Chapman as a simplistic knock-off. To use an alterna-rock analogy: if Joan Armatrading was Sonic Youth, Tracy Chapman was Green Day.)
Despite several handfuls of unimpeachably great songs, Armatrading never really made one album that summed her up and secured her place in the singer/songwriter canon—none of her studio albums achieve the completeness of Blue or Tapesty or After the Gold Rush, though Armatrading’s place alongside Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Neil Young is indisputable.
Still, with no one record to latch onto, I left Armatrading back in the world of “college music” that I remembered fondly but listened to rarely. Then last year I came across her early-career-summarizing collection Love & Affection, and fell in love all over again, harder than ever. (Eternal favorites: “Friends,” “The Weakness in Me,” “The Laurel and the Rose,” “Down to Zero.”)
And then, right in the midst of this personal Joan Armatrading renaissance, I noticed that Joan Armatrading is coming to town, as part of the Cyndi Lauper/B-52s True Colors tour, which lands at Seattle’s WaMu Theatre next Tuesday, July 1.
I am swooning in anticipation.
For now, please enjoy a rich dose of Joan from 1979.
God I love her.
THANK YOU, David!
I can't think of a more underrated singer-songwriter. I still play many of her albums frequently. Thanks so much for this great reminder. I was just playing "Walk Under Ladders" (with the weird 80s production but superb songs) as I did the housework this week.
Great work on the article about marriage and Mormonism, BTW!
And if you're into Joan and Tracy, you've got to be down with British singer/poet/activist/all-around righteous motherfucker Labi Siffre. Sadly, too few Americans have heard of the guy, with the notable exception of Charles Aaron, who presented a paper about him at this year's EMP. Then again, Mr. Schmader's a Marshall Mathers expert, so I'm sure he's given Siffre a listen or two...and I'm sure you have, too, Mr. Estey!
Great to see you on here, Kathy!*
You know what? Until Charles Aaron nervously but magnificently presented that incredible paper at the Pop Con this year, I had no idea who Mr. Siffre was. A feature on him by any of the many fine writers for the Stranger (Michaelangelo? TJ? Charles? Paul?) would be absolutely delightful, I'm sure.
(*We must have drinks again soon. : )
I'm still kicking myself for missing that paper. Word has it that Aaron knocked it out of the ballpark. I discovered Siffre through the Other Music newsletter. I took one listen to "I Got The," and I was hooked. Tracy Chapman's vocal similarity is downright spooky (Siffre sings in a vibrato-laden falsetto). And if Joan isn't a fan, I'll eat my hat...or walk under a ladder. Estey, I'll see your asterisk, and raise you another. More drinks!
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