It took a while for the praise to accumulate, but positive opinions for this album have become so consistent and extensive that it has reached near-mythic status, and deservedly so.

Time has only added to its luster. In the mid-70s, what other singer/songwriter was making music this clever and yet so accessible, beautiful and emotionally captivating? Perhaps Joni Mitchell came close, but her songs demanded patience and time to adjust to her unique melody lines.

Joan Armatrading’s writing is more straightforward but by no means simple. Her songwriting here is stellar but that’s not the full story. Armatrading also proves herself to be some sort of genius as a song arranger. Each song contains exactly what it needs to convey its particular emotion, no more and no less. If simple acoustic guitar, thumb piano and a cracking voice best conveys the paranoia of being alone at night (“Woncha Come on Home”), then that’s where the arrangement stops. If intense syncopation, with more twists and turns than the Monaco Grand Prix help express the giddiness of new love (“Kissin’ and a Huggin”), there it is. “Show Some Emotion” takes its title very seriously, with Armatrading wearing her own emotions on her sleeve, exposing her vulnerabilities for the sake of the song.

The album’s mood is basically upbeat and positive, even playful, yet unafraid to wade into deeper water. “Willow” appears late (second to last) on the album but is certainly its emotional centerpiece. Love may be the most common topic for a pop song, but I don’t believe I’ve ever heard one that digs this deep to express itself. Her lyrical phrasing alone is enough to cause goose bumps, yet her words take emotional weakness and turns it into an anthem about the inner strength of bending for the sake of a loved one, even when that person apparently loves someone else. If you find yourself in the proper frame of mind, the song itself becomes a ‘willow’ of sorts, propping up the listener by providing soothing shelter and solace from the noise and confusion that often surrounds us. It’s a song that literally becomes what the lyrics purport as it pulls you inside. By the time “Show Some Emotion” ends, you are left with the feeling that you just spent an hour convening with a close friend, and I can’t think of a much higher compliment for an album than that.

Featured Tracks:

Woncha Come On Home

Show Some Emotion

Warm Love

Never Is Too Late

Peace in Mind

Opportunity

Mama Mercy

Get in the Sun

Willow

Kissin' and a Huggin

October 1977 – Billboard Charted #52