Joan Armatrading: Love and Affection
[purchase]
Leftovers happen in different ways. Sometimes life intrudes, and there isn’t time to post for a particular theme. Then there are always those of us who missed a theme because we weren’t part of Star Maker Machine yet. But sometimes, a theme is announced and I have a full slate of posts in mind, only to realize after the week has passed that the perfect song completely slipped my mind. That happened to me after This and That week. I can’t believe I forgot Love and Affection.
Joan Armatrading was part of the first wave of singer-songwriters in the 1970s. But, she sounded like no one else. Her songs had a looseness that allowed plenty of freedom for her band. And she could capture unusual emotional states. Here, she depicts a woman in a relationship poised between friendship and love. It is not clear what, if anything, will push it over. But the emotion is delicious with anticipation.
BTW, there is a wonderful cover of this song, done in a medley with Sweet Jane, by a group called Two Nice Girls. If anyone has an mp3 of it, I would love to have it. Please let me know in the comments.