Joan Armatrading - Back to the Night

It was an unusually long time before A&M released a second album from Joan Armatrading, Back To The Night. Produced by Vinegar Joe guitarist Pete Gage (and featuring that band's Steve York on bass), the record is something of a transitional work between the singer/songwriter folk of her first album and the warmer melodies of her breakthrough eponymous effort. While it's not a markedly better record than Whatever's For Us, there are some appreciable differences. Most of the songs are written by Armatrading herself -- only two are carryovers from her collaboration with lyricist Pam Nestor -- which places the emphasis on matters of the heart. Read More