Retaining producer Glyn Johns and some of the same session players from
her last record, Show Some Emotion repeated that album's chart success
and included two more terrific singles in the same vein: "Show Some
Emotion" and "Willow." However, the rest of the album sounds
like outtakes from that effort. Gone is the smooth, honeyfied flow of
Joan Armatrading; the lyrics seem to lack a sense of meter, the songs
occasionally rely on pedestrian R&B arrangements to move them along,
and the buoyant melodies are few and far between. Part of the problem
stems from poor track placement; the vulnerable "Woncha Come on Home,"
which would have worked well at the end of side one or two, is an awful
choice as the opening track. Placing the similar-sounding "Mama Mercy"
and "Get in the Sun" next to each other suggests that Armatrading
even had trouble coming up with filler, and waiting until the end of the
album to unleash the energetic "Kissin' and a Huggin'" leaves
the listener all charged up for nothing. While the title track and "Willow"
are good enough to justify the album purchase alone, they're available
on any number of compilations. Without them, Show Some Emotion lacks any
must-own material, although the aptly titled "Warm Love," "Kissin'
and a Huggin'," and the compelling "Opportunity" are worth
hearing. Overall, this feels like a step back after her last effort. The
fine voice and smattering of rock, jazz, and island melodies place it
as vintage Joan Armatrading, but the material is a cut below her better
work.
(by Dave Connolly, All
Music Guide)
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