Joan Armatrading - Consequences

The Guardian 0

(BMG)
The 70-year-old Brit may cut an unassuming figure, but she refuses to trade on comfort, essaying pop head-on without ever sounding like a trend-chasing heritage act

It seems a strange thing to say about someone who was awarded a CBE last October, is still in possession of a major label contract at 70 and clearly has no problem selling out venues whenever she chooses to tour, but Joan Armatrading still feels like a weirdly under-sung figure in pop history. It’s not just that she was a genuinely groundbreaking artist, although she undoubtedly was: the world of British mainstream rock wasn’t exactly awash with Black gay female singer-songwriters in the 1970s, particularly ones who achieved success on the scale Armatrading did. It’s that the quality of what she did doesn’t feel fully reflected in her contemporary status.

Related: Joan Armatrading: 'I want to make a heavy metal album – with lots of guitar shredding'