Show Some Emotion (Remastered) Joan Armatrading

• 1 Woncha Come On Home 02:39
• 2 Show Some Emotion 03:30
• 3 Warm Love 03:04
• 4 Never Is Too Late 05:34
• 5 Peace In Mind 03:20
• 6 Opportunity 03:22
• 7 Mama Mercy 02:48
• 8 Get In The Sun 03:20
• 9 Willow 04:54
• 10 Kissin' And A Huggin' 04:42
• Total Runtime 37:13

Info for Show Some Emotion (Remastered)

Show Some Emotion is the fourth studio album by British singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading, released in 1977 on A&M. This is an even better showcase for her multi-faceted musical talents than her last album, and that album was stunning. Again produced by Glyn Johns but now featuring a wider cast of characters, Show Some Emotion includes two of her best songs, “Show Some Emotion” and “Willow,” and strong material from end to end that tries out a variety of styles. At this stage, the comparison to other artists is meaningless as Joan has entered an incomparable state. There isn’t another artist who moves so gracefully and confidently between ballads, rockers, reggae and blues, or would lead an album off with a vulnerable song like “Woncha Come On Home” and then sucker punch you with “Show Some Emotion.” Her last album was a leap forward in terms of musicality, yet Show Some Emotion feels even more saturated in sound. Much of the credit goes to Glyn Johns, who assembled a stellar backing band for Joan that re-used a few familiar parts (Jerry Donahue, Brian Rogers) and added Georgie Fame, Bryan Garofalo, David Kemper and others to the mix. Given the right musical accompaniment, Joan’s compositions soar. Although I did say that comparisons no longer applied, the presence of Georgie Fame did get me thinking about Van Morrison and the great musical support he’s had over the years. Like Van, Joan needs to make an emotional connection for her music to truly work, and that can sometimes be daunting given the complexity of her music. In the right hands, it runs like a graceful tiger. Even when Joan slows down on this record, the stride is perfectly paced, the steps perfectly placed, and happy are the hunted.

"Armatrading combines influences from her native West Indies and adopted England, and her voice projects both tenderness and power". (The Washington Post)

"Retaining producer Glyn Johns and some of the same session players from her last record, Show Some Emotion repeated that album's chart success and included two more terrific singles in the same vein: "Show Some Emotion" and "Willow." However, the rest of the album sounds like outtakes from that effort. Gone is the smooth, honeyfied flow of Joan Armatrading; the lyrics seem to lack a sense of meter, the songs occasionally rely on pedestrian R&B arrangements to move them along, and the buoyant melodies are few and far between. Part of the problem stems from poor track placement; the vulnerable "Woncha Come on Home," which would have worked well at the end of side one or two, is an awful choice as the opening track. Placing the similar-sounding "Mama Mercy" and "Get in the Sun" next to each other suggests that Armatrading even had trouble coming up with filler, and waiting until the end of the album to unleash the energetic "Kissin' and a Huggin'" leaves the listener all charged up for nothing. While the title track and "Willow" are good enough to justify the album purchase alone, they're available on any number of compilations. Without them, Show Some Emotion lacks any must-own material, although the aptly titled "Warm Love," "Kissin' and a Huggin'," and the compelling "Opportunity" are worth hearing. Overall, this feels like a step back after her last effort. The fine voice and smattering of rock, jazz, and island melodies place it as vintage Joan Armatrading, but the material is a cut below her better work." (Dave Connolly, AMG)

Joan Armatrading, vocals, acoustic guitar, thumb piano, acoustic piano, lead acoustic guitar
Jerry Donahue, electric guitar, lead acoustic guitar, slide guitar
Georgie Fame, Fender Rhodes
Bryan Garofalo, bass
David Kemper, gdrums
Additional musicians:
Pete Clarke, backing vocals
Mel Collins, saxophone
Tim Hinkley, organ, piano
Kenney Jones, drums
Dave Markee, bass
Rabbitt, organ
Brian Rogers, string arrangements, conductor
Joe Scott, backing vocals
Henry Spinetti, drums

Produced and engineered by Glyn Johns

Digitally remastered

No biography found.

This album contains no booklet.