["Joan Armatrading"] is the most fascinating [album] I've heard so far in 1976….

[It is] a completely convincing marriage of form and content: an emotional depth wedded to pleasing musical substance in a way which, to me, indicate a pretty rare level of intelligence….

The first quality one perceives in "Joan Armatrading" … is certainty. Her writing, singing, and playing evince a surefootedness which borders on arrogance; at last, one feels, she knows she's good and doesn't mind showing it….

[The] musicianship and subtle production [of "Joan Armatrading"] are subordinate to the songs themselves, and out of ten she has come up with six that sound like classics to me.

"Love And Affection" begins thus: "I am not in love / But I'm open to persuasion," and continues, "with a friend I can smile / But with a lover I could hold my head back / I could really laugh …" Another, "Save Me...