When was the last time you thought about Joan Armatrading? For me, I wouldn't be surprised if it were a decade or more. She never really made as big in the U.S. as she did in the UK, but for a while in the '80s, when I was for a long spell living 'mongst the Lesbians, she was a pop presence.
Now I'm glad for whatever random synapse in my addled brain that fired and made me look her up, because I've gotten very fond this last week or so of the song above, "This Charming Life," the title track of her 2010 album. Who knew?
And how nice to check in with a name from the Good Old Days and find that she's alive and well, making music much as she always did - poppy and personal, buoyant and warm. In a age of manufactured stars and shrieking melismaniacs, it's nice to see someone so natural, doing what she likes to do. Enjoy.
Update: Oh, dear; MrPeenee has alerted us to the sadly geographically crippled nature of the clip above. Just in case, here's a backup, although it has an annoying promo caption at the bottom. All very vexing...
