Joan Armatrading Live All the Way from America

Product Description One of popular music's most enduring and respected singer songwriters captured in her favorite environment - live in front of a theater full of adoring fans! This spectacular event recording was filmed during Joan's 2003 World Tour and features a collection of her most popular hits (Love and Affection, All the Way from America, Blessed, Willow) along with new songs from her most recent studio album 'Lover's Speak'. Filmed completely live at the Lillian Fontaine Theater in Saratoga, California 'All the Way From America' showcases Joan as the consummate entertainer she is - accomplished singer/songwriter, guitarist and spellbinding story teller. DVD Video tracks: 1. Down To Zero 2. All The Way From America 3. Prove Yourself 4. Physical Pain 5. You Made Your Bed 6. Tender Trap 7. The Weakness In Me 8. Let's Talk About Us 9. Join The Boys 10. Save Me 11. Everyday Boy 12. Love And Affection 13. Crazy For You 14. Lovers Speak 15. Love Bug 16. Rosie 17. Mama Mercy 18. Kissin And A Huggin 19. Me Myself I 20. Willow 21. Blessed Bonus Tracks: Bottom To The Top *In These Times (Studio Version) Amazon.com A major talent, if not a major success, since the mid-1970s, Joan Armatrading gets a classy showcase for her music with Live: All the Way from America, a 21-song (plus two bonus tracks), 105-minute concert recorded in California in 2003. The West Indies-born, British-raised singer-songwriter (she's also an excellent guitarist) is usually described as "unique" or "idiosyncratic"--appropriate terms, as Armatrading has comfortably moved between rock, reggae, soul, folk, and other styles throughout her career. And so it is here, as Armatrading, accompanied by only a drummer and a keyboardist, draws liberally from her Lovers Speak album (fully nine tunes come from that '03 release, including the lovely ballad "Crazy for You" and the smooth-grooving "Let's Talk About Us"), while also reprising such enduring hits (well, sort of) as "The Weakness in Me," "Love and Affection," and the very funky "Kissin' and a Huggin'." The singer's voice is occasionally a little unsteady; and while the sound is superb ("no overdubs whatsoever!" trumpets the cover blurb), the sometimes choppy film editing (credited to Armatrading herself) can be a distraction. Still, considering that Track Record, her only other video product, has been out of print for years, Joan Armatrading's ardent fans can only rejoice at the release of this generally excellent piece of work. --Sam Graham