What's Inside
Joan Armatrading has long been one of the finest singers in Anglo-American pop. The Caribbean-born, British-based vocalist has a rich, low alto which she uses to stretch and twist phrases, loading them with new implications in the style of her hero Van Morrison. Armatrading, who wrote, arranged and coproduced (with David Tickle) the album, has surrounded herself with top musicians formerly associated with the Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Eric Clapton, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Joni Mitchell, and Al Green. She more than holds her own, not only as a singer but also as the lead guitarist. She sings the first verse of "Merchant of Love," for example, with the deflating, sad sigh of someone who has heard too many lies from too many lovers. --Geoffrey Himes