After an over eight-year hiatus away from the spotlight, Joan Armatrading is finally back with a sublimely delicious CD of all new material, Lover’s Speak.

Known as a true craftsman, she has arranged as well as played nearly every instrument on her album (with the exception of horns and drums). Her distinctive songwriting and consummate musicianship effortlessly integrates soul, blues and sophisticated pop. Fourteen heartfelt and emotive songs on Lover’s Speak envelope the listener in a timeless songcraft—music that manages to eschew trends and novelty and remains completely contemporary.

JOAN ARMATRADING has come a long way since her birth in the West Indies and her upbringing in Birmingham, England. Over the course of 17 stunning albums, Joan Armatrading has consistently achieved unanimous critical acclaim and a long list of accolades. She has played, and still does, with some of the finest musicians around; she has received countless gold, platinum and silver discs. She has been nominated for both Brit and Grammy Awards, she has been the recipient of a highly coveted Ivov Novello Award, she figured large in VH1’s Top 100 voted poll The Most Influential Woman In Rock. Joan has been honored by the Queen and is one of the few female artists ever to receive an MBE. She has played for Nelson Mandela, been given the key to Sydney and is Patron of various charities.

Born in St Kitts in the West Indies on December 9^th 1950 and moving to England when she was seven, she took her first musical steps on her mother’s piano. Although her father had a guitar it was strictly out of bounds so when Joan saw one for £3 in a pawn shop window she pestered her mother to barter two old prams they no longer used. She taught herself to play and began writing songs at the age of 14. Leaving school when she was 16, she undertook various jobs, all the while writing songs, until signing to Cube Records in 1971.

Her debut album, Whatever’s For Us, was released the following year on Cube in the UK and A&M in the States. In 1975 she signed to A&M world-wide and the career that has followed has witnessed a plethora of classic and memorable songs ­ “Love and Affection”, “Down To Zero”, “Drop the Pilot”, “Me Myself I.” Joan has worked with members of Little Feat, Fairport Convention, XTC, the Police and Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. Musicians such as Darryl Jones (Rolling Stones), Mark Brzezicki (Big Country) Tony Levin (King Crimson), Manu Katche (Sting), Benmont Tench (Tom Petty), Mark Knopfler and stalwart Greg Phillingames have all joined her in the studio.

A long time supporter and performer for the Prince’s Trust, she lends her support to various charities across the world. In December 1998 she released a CD, Lullabies With A Difference, in aid of PACES, a charity for children with Cerebral Palsy. She is a Patron of the Peace University in Vienna and recently became a Patron of Ukuza, which helps raise the cultural profile of South Africa.

A huge admirer of Nelson Mandela, not only has she performed live for him at his 70^th birthday at Wembley Stadium, she was also invited to write a special tribute song in 1999. Titled “The Messenger,” Joan performed it to the former President of South Africa when he made a private visit to the UK in 2000.

In 1996 Joan was awarded an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contemporary Song Collection while her most recent platinum CD was received for her part in the BBC’s “Perfect Day” by Lou Reed.

As for Lover’s Speak, the feel is truly Joan, the thread that runs through all the diverse elements and meshes them together is the touch the artist herself brings. As Joan explains “I’ve wanted to make an album that reflected me for a while now and I think this does”.

Joan’s right. It does. Hope you’ve been listening and agree!