Joan Armatrading is, quite simply, a supreme songwriter and massively talented artist. If you can write and preform songs like Love And Affection, Somebody Who Loves Me and All The Way From America then you should be recognised widely for the genius you are.

So imagine how silly I felt when I saw The Shouted Stage advertised for sale and realised I’d never even heard of the album. As the kids say, “Doh….”

This is an exceptional album from 1988, classic Joan dealing with relationships in a way that only she can. But the big advantage of buying the vinyl album is that you get the lyrics and a detailed list of all the musicians who appear on the album. You simply don’t get that when you’re streaming the songs. On The Shouted Stage are musicians like Mark Knopfler, Pino Palladino and Dave Mattacks but the album is pure Joan Armatrading.

Get The Shouted Stage vinyl album if you can, if you can’t stream it….