Is it wrong that I only really know 3 of Joan Armatrading’s songs and actually would’ve been content with a concert comprising of her performing each of them once with the exception of Love and Affection which I could’ve heard a few times in a row? The other two songs I know and like are The Weakness in Me and of course Me Myself I.

But Love and Affection is worth the accolades, sales and popularity it generated for Joan Armatrading. It is just one of those songs that captures emotion in this way that everyone can grasp. The way it flows musically and lyrically is pure genius.

I can say that I’m a little young for Joan Armatrading. But I think her popularity in America was a little delayed. The album my friends and I probably know her from is a collection called Track Record released in 1989.

Joan was very charming and appreciative of the warm reception from the audience particularly after she performed Love and Affection. She had a mike stand with a drink holder which struck me as amusing in that anti-rock and roll way. I mean, it was really useful for her to have a place for her beverage within easy reach as she alternated between rocking out and crooning. Very pragmatic. I guess genre-wise she is a singer-songwriter with an electric guitar.



Anyway, it was fun. It was sort of last minute. A fellow PCA set it up and she is always interested in what I’m listening to because she listens to Claudia Marshall and Julianne Welby’s show on WFUV (City Folk® Morning) and they play a nice blend of music on their show. The first time I mentioned Sondre Lerche to her, she said, oh yeah, I’ve heard him on WFUV which is definitely true because I know Sondre has been interviewed a few times at the station. She even thought she had heard Tammany Hall NYC on WFUV which is possible as the station is NYC-based (it’s the Fordham station). But I admit I searched the playlists at ‘FUV and didn’t see TH anywhere.



I also found it striking that The Weakness in Me is such a favored song considering the theme of betrayal. It made me think of how Liz Phair’s single Why Can’t I became the song used in every romantic movie that year because she wrote: “Why can’t I breathe whenever I think about you? Why can’t I speak whenever I talk about you?” I guess people can relate to it all including what leads to breakups and betrayal, i.e., “Got a girlfriend, you say it isn’t right. And I’ve got someone waiting too.”



So let me wrap up this Joan review. She was promoting her most recent album which as far as I can tell was released in 2003 and it was pleasant enough. The Apollo is a cozy venue. The first thing people say when they see the inside is, “It’s so much smaller than I expected! It looks bigger on tv.” That’s why it struggles to make money/break even despite having landmark status – because the house doesn’t seat enough for big headliners and smaller acts can’t fill the seats. But Joan was pleased to be there and she sang her heart out for us.



Aside: The opener was this dude I saw open for Jason Mraz. His name is Raul Midon. He is talented for sure. His music is pleasant but not earth-shattering. He has a lot of technical finesse but his song-writing is still emerging. Still, the crowd seemed impressed.

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