Twenty albums down the line and over half a century recording, Joan Armatrading continues to move forwards, preferring the new to the old. Her splendidly named new album How Did This Happen And What Does It Now Mean is a forest of invention and great songs.
And where recent records have explored other areas – jazz, classical (in 2023 she had her first symphony performed) – this one is very much in the grand tradition that gave the world Me Myself I, Love And Affection and Down To Zero, the unique kind of emotional rock and confessional pop that marks her best work.
