Soulful English singer/songwriter
Joan Armatrading spent her last two outings, 2007's rootsy, Grammy Award-nominated
Into the Blues and 2010's propulsive, electrified
This Charming Life, testing the boundaries of the genre, channeling both the acoustic and electric histories of the blues with equal parts wit, warmth, and wildness. Released in 2013,
Starlight serves as a jazz-centric complement to those two releases, offering up a luxurious set of new originals -- like "Single Life," "The Way I Think of You," "Always on My Mind," and the buttery title cut, all of which find
Armatrading handling each and every instrument -- that skillfully bridges the gap between the smooth folk-pop of
Show Some Emotion, the amorous candor of
Lover's Speak, and the evocative cool of the aforementioned
Into the Blues. ~ James Christopher Monger