Joan Armatrading offers a plate of the old classics we know and love, in her latest single I like it when we’re together.
If I were to offer you an extravagant, giant, sugar-filled chocolate cake or a perfect little victoria sponge, which would you pick?
At first the chocolate cake is tempting, it’s sweet, rich and a little naughty; you know it won’t do your figure any good and it’ll ruin your dinner if you have it now, but you want it anyway. The latter is just basic, it’s nothing special – you could have it any other night of the week if you want to.
The obvious choice here is the first cake. But about three bites into the delightfully devilish coca extravaganza, regret comes knocking at the door of your taste buds. You change your mind, it’s far too rich and it’s getting too much for you to handle. Yuck. You feel sick. It’s tickling your tongue, grating on your teeth, and the whole time the delicate victoria cake is just staring at you with teasing eyes. It’s looking better now isn’t it? Why did you have to go and pick that dang sugar explosion?
Now of course music isn’t like a cake; I wouldn’t recommend eating it. But the point still stands: if you were offered an over the top extravagant song, or a simple old classic, which would you listen to? The newer, more interesting one, right?
Well just like the chocolate cake, the lavish song isn’t always the best. Sometimes it can tempt you into a terrible trap, not really sounding as good as it looks. But one thing you can always rely on is a classic. And the latest vanilla cake from Joan Armatrading delivered just what I hoped it would.
The song is a menu filled with homemade comfort food. The rustic guitar melodies and filling chords offer a perfect plate of healthy authenticity. It’s home-grown, and packed with everything you need for the tastiest meal.
As you dig into the delightful pie of music, you find the drums mash well with the other instruments to perfectly carry the rhythm, whilst still standing on their own buttery merit. Just like solid greens, the tonic and diatonic tonality (full of simplistic fifths and perfect harmonies) avoid spice or tension. Instead they create something that’s filling and nice to listen to in the background. I personally was listening to this whilst cooking and it was delightfully calming.
It’s not just Joan that’s impressive here though. The musicians are accomplished enough in their abilities to perform a memorable and pretty piece even when it’s just an instrumental version. The bass is a cheeky little lashing of red wine gravy; it has its own stage, demanding its own attention. It works well alongside the other vegetable instruments but is still worthy of its own limelight. As you can probably tell, it was my favourite part.
On top of your pie is a tingle of onions (caramelised of course). They are the simple yet sweet lyricism, with their powerful and often overlooked kick of directness. Oddly, they avoid the cliché of rhyming couplets and instead bring about an air of sophisticated clarity.
Usually I despise direct and obvious lyricism – I much prefer the metaphorical poetry of Passenger, but in this track the element gets a free pass. And all of this is carried on a force of well controlled impressive vocals.
Unlike Mariah or Beyonce, Joan doesn’t need over the top vocalisations. It’s not at all attention seeking or distracting, she gives room for the other musicians to breathe. She’s humble and modest in her singing. I wouldn’t expect anything less from her. The only additional little spice she has is a gorgeous vocal break at the end of the word “together”. The word just splits in two and drips out a heartwarming vulnerability that I can’t seem to escape from.
The whole song is subtly heart grabbing. It’s the perfect meal for a night in with a glass of something.
My only issue, is the awfully thin electronic piano. It doesn’t fit, it’s desperately missing reverb and ruins her authentic sound. But that’s just picking hairs at this point. I’m quite happy with my plate of home cooked, heart warming food, and wouldn’t change it for anything else.
Good work Joan, I look forward to your next release.