British singer / songwriter Joan Armatrading has been active since the early 1970s. After a number of successful albums on which she mixed soul, folk and jazz and the great reggae hit Rosie (1980), she was somewhat forgotten in the Netherlands. However, she continued to make albums on which she increasingly took all the reins herself. She also made Starlight, on which she shows her love for jazz,
… on her own. She played guitar, bass and keys and got wind, strings and drums from the computer. Undoubtedly clever by this lady born in 1950, but the moody and intimate compositions like Close To Me and Tell Me now only sound cold. And that is especially a shame of her warm and bronze soul voice that has not lost any of its strength. With a good band and producer, Armatrading would have a fantastic album in it. The beautiful songs on Starlight testify to this. (MR)more
