In 1976 when Joan Armatrading made her debut she presented an arresting and tasteful paradox—a singer/songwriter who specialized in intimacy without getting morose, self-involved or confessional while keeping her love objects as unspecific as possible. ( They tended to be genderless which begged the question "Is she or isn't she gay?" ) To those who listened intently for clues in her lyrics they were wasting their time; it had nothing to do with who she was singing to but what she was singing about. Love, trust, intimacy and the act of relating and communicating were subjects that were all big with her, and they still are on her new This Charming Life ( SLG Records ) , but there's a big fat surprise tucked away on it: Armatrading's unbridled glee.
The title track, "This Charming Life," offers a clue to the buoyancy here—someone appears to be in love and Armatrading sounds like she's in a rapturous free fall as clouds whizz by and her goofy grin gets broader. The only time that I've ever heard anyone sound so nakedly smitten was Marshall Crenshaw's "This Is Easy," where he likened falling in love to "Falling, falling, falling through open air..." Armatrading doesn't get that carried away but her delight is expressed in some of the most lithe guitar playing that she's done in eons, and it's almost jaw-dropping to hear her open joy tumble off her tongue. "Heading Back to New York," on the other hand, is galvanizing, chugging and propelled by a velocity that makes it pop out with a gritty punch. The tone of "New York" is blunt, muscular, and a tad harder then that quaint "singer/songwriter" mantle would suggest and, after all this time and all the searing ballads and hymns to emotional expression, it answers the question of whether Armatrading has mellowed out. Far from it: This Charming Life is far and away some of the most varied, adventurous and articulate music that she's made in over a decade.
To be fair the intimacy—one of her most distinctive traits—is still present and upfront. "Cry" and "Two Tears" are heartrending songs of betrayal and misery and if you're looking for some sonic heartbreak you won't be disappointed. But then there are her refreshing forays into pop; "Love, Love, Love" and "This Charming Life" are radio-friendly boppers that chug right along like a warm summer breeze. "Best Dress On" is unnervingly catchy and sticks to your brain like a wad of gum to the bottom of your shoe, but in a good way. The chorus is such a delight with it's boomerang hook and well placed lyrics that singing along with it is, well, a lot of fun. Which is not exactly what one would expect from Joan Armatrading.
But if This Charming Life shows her with a refreshed take on things her July 25 show at the House of Blues revealed her to be downright frisky and playful. Live on stage is by far the best place to see her and I have to admit that I had forgotten how damn—for lack of a better word—"cuddly" Armatrading is. For a good decade into the start of her career she seemed reluctant to let anyone too close—"Me, Myself, and I," indeed. Involved, yes; intimate, no question; embraceable—well, not so much. Right off the bat she loaded the show with surprises and kept topping herself in unexpected ways. Opening with "Show Some Emotion," her rapt audience was waving its hands in unison by the time she got to the third song, "All the Way From America," and people were singing along like enchanted kids on "Romper Room." ( I half expected a sea of Bic lighters to appear. ) At the close of the song Armatrading cheekily quipped with a huge smile on her face, "Did that come too soon?" It was the start of a lot of good cheer coming off and going to that stage.
This Charming Life's new material folded smoothly with classics like "Love and Affection" ( which had this audience enraptured with a call-and-response duet with her ) , "The Weakness in Me" ( so dramatic, stark, and arresting 19 years after it was recorded that you could hear a pin drop in this coiled tense reading ) and a smirking, tossed-off "Me, Myself, and I."
Seeing Armatrading live also reminded me how she's one hell of a guitar goddess, a fact that gets obscured because she's never been one to posture or pose while deftly slicing notes with expressive and stinging dexterity. So what if the audience singalong on "Best Dress On" went on for what seemed like days or "I Love It ( When You Call Me Names ) " and "Drop the Pilot," though hard-rocking and full of renewed fire, seemed anticlimatic compared to what came before it? This new edition of Armatrading seems far removed from the stoic, contained version from years before and it was worth it to see this audience respond to her. To the gently buzzed guy who wouldn't stop running to the front of the stage, dancing and flinging his open arms out to Armatrading while proclaiming in a tipsy bark, "I WUUUVVV YOOOOOOOOOO...!!!"—I was right with ya, dude.
Heads up: Just announced are some upcoming dates at the Old Town School of Folk Music: Meshell N'degeocello ( Oct. 16 ) , Bob Mould ( Oct. 22 ) and Janis Ian ( Nov. 14 ) .
Finally, there's the "hasta la vista baaaaabeee" tip of the hat to the Vanessa Davis Band for its tour of Europe. By the time this is printed you'll be long gone but you can't say we didn't care.
E-mail Vern Hester at hester297@hotmail.com or Andrew Davis at Andrew@WindyCityMediaGroup.com .
