Armatrading returns with new CD, tour

July 6, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON

England may be singer/ songwriter Joan Armatrading’s home, but she says she’s most at home performing before American audiences.

“America is my favorite place to perform; I’ll say that no matter what country I’m in, I’m not scared,” she told McClatchy Newspapers. “Audiences around the world respond really, really well to what I do, but there’s that extra thing for me in America. I hesitate to say it’s cherry on the cake, but if you have a cake and put the cherry on top, there’s something that zings it.”

Armatrading comes “home” to North America next week when she begins the U.S. leg of a tour to promote her new CD, “This Charming Life,” an 11-song disc that showcases her eclectic blend of rock, pop, rhythm & blues and a hint of reggae.

That mix has earned Armatrading accolades — she was bestowed the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth in 2001— and a heavy following in Europe, where fans readily sing along to her 1970s and ’80s hits like “Willow,” “Love and Affection,” “Me, Myself, I” and “Drop the Pilot.”

Her U.S. audience is just as dedicated, though not quite as large as across the pond. Armatrading’s wide-ranging musical style, emotionally probing lyrics, and deep voice made her hard to peg for American radio airplay.

“She’s not so easily classified because she has all these shades of blues, folk and rock,” said Ellie Hisama, a Columbia University music professor who wrote a section on Armatrading for the 1999 book “Audible traces: Gender, identity, and music.” “But there are people who listened to her and modeled themselves after her.”

Some music critics consider Armatrading the musical godmother of a corps of current female performers — Tracy Chapman, India.Arie and others.