JOAN ARMATRADING - Into The Blues

A high-caliber body of work that over 25 years has enchanted audiences with its mix of rock'n'roll, folk, blues and reggae. A brief run of success rewarded the most accomplished period of her output, from 1977 to 1983. In truth, creativity and strong songwriting also marked her lesser albums, bolstered by good taste and a knack for picking up new influences for a singer-songwriter's rock that has often won the praise of fellow artists (Mark Eitzel names her among his muses).

After four years of silence, Joan rekindles her love of the blues, giving us an intense album; even though only "Liza" can be strictly called blues (excellent, at that), the whole record is steeped in that feeling: from the juicy blues-rock of "There Ain't A Girl Alive" to the blues-folk of "Baby Blue Eyes", all the way to the enveloping "Into The Blues", where piano and organ intertwine with gorgeous guitar solos.

A record with no filler, able to reinvent her approach to the blues without sounding formulaic—indeed, introducing some modern ideas on tracks like "Mama Papa" and "Something's Gotta Blow".

Strangely, though, the listen may disappoint fans, as Joan has abandoned her usual sonic standards to pursue a bolder project. While the more typical "A Woman In Love" and "Play The Blues" absorb the blues into the American artist's traditional sound textures, elsewhere the sound is less familiar and the result more original: just listen to the closing "Something's Gotta Blow", rich in unusual harmonies, or "Deep Down", built on just two words, with the grit of a debutant.

There's also room for a few delicate ballads, like "Secular Song" and "Empty Highway", and for a strange modernist detour on "D.N.A.", rounding out Joan Armatrading's best album since "To The Limit" - and offering some consolation to anyone disappointed by the comeback of Joni Mitchell, Joan's muse. For once - it must be said - the pupil has outdone the teacher.

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21/12/2007