British singer, songwriter, and guitarist born December 9, 1950 in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis in the West Indies. Armatrading moved with her family to Birmingham, England, United Kingdom, in 1957 and in the early 1970s, moved to London to perform in a repertory production of "Hair". Because this is a live album, Armatrading cannot play all the instruments, but she does bring together a group of very talented musicians, namely: Jennifer Maidman (Bass), Paul Stewart (Drums), Alex Lee Richards (Keyboards), Jamie Anderson (Saxophone). This band works as a tight unit and brings new life to the music. It is clearly Armatrading’s show, but she allows her band to demonstrate their own individual talents as well.

Consequences offers no shortage of rhythm-ready offerings, which ensure the enthusiasm remains at a constant peak.” – American Songwriter Of course the hits are here, such as “Drop The Pilot” (which on this album is just so full of energy), “Me Myself I”, “Love And Affection” and “Willow”, which all come off well in this performance. Armatrading sounds like she is enjoying revisiting the older material and all of the songs fit together to tell her story throughout the years. This is a great live album. Live At Asylum Chapel is a great example of what can be done with live albums and how they can be a wonderful history of an artist. She is smart to include new and old songs, hits as well as deep album cuts. It is a very slight glimpse into an artist who has released 20 studio albums and four live albums. This is a great overview of her career and might push the listener to dig into her catalogue and discover this truly talented individual.

Reviews

She and girlfriend Maggie Butler entered a civil partnership on 2 May 2011, in the Shetland Isles. Show more

Consequences, Joan’s 22nd album, “finds her at the peak of her game” ( Rolling Stone). It was released digitally in the US on June 18th and is scheduled for CD/LP release on August 13 via BMG. It shot straight to the No 10 position in the UK charts in its first week of release, marking her first Top 10 album in 30 years. She was recently featured in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Forbes, and NPR Weekend Edition. Joan Armatrading has maintained her introspective songwriting and moving vocals while navigating through a variety of genres.” – The Wall Street JournalJoan Armatrading came into the consciousness of music lovers in 1972, with her debut album Whatever’s For Us. She was known as a singer-songwriter and her reputation grew throughout the past 50 years. Not only did she firmly established herself on the charts in Europe and the UK, but also developed as an incredible writer and musician. In fact, Armatrading has produced and played every instrument on her albums since 2003. She has her loyal fan base in North America but she is a chart topper throughout Europe and her adopted home in England (she was born in St. Kitts and moved to the U.K. when she was seven). This concert, recorded at the historic and iconic Asylum Chapel in London highlights everything brilliant about this artist. Her songs, her musicianship, and her wonderful voice. This album is being released alongside her first book, a selection of her lyrics titled The Weakness In Me: Selected Lyrics. All of these releases are to assist Armatrading in celebrating her 50th anniversary in music. Juxtaposing layers of crisp riffs and rhythms while wielding a voice that can dive into a hearty contralto or leap upward to radiate fragility and tenderness” – The New York Times Owner of Bumpkin Studios, a purpose built recording facility in the grounds of her home, in Surrey, where she has recorded most of her albums since "Sleight of Hand".

Every concert is unique in its own way,” says Joan. “This Livestream is a first for me and it’s a way of allowing me to reach people around the world who would love to hear and see me perform songs of mine that are their favorite. It’s also very exciting to finally share my new songs in a live setting.”