It’s almost a perfect bedfellow for ‘love and affection’, proving that even at seventy years of age she is still being handed down couplets of silken beauty from the pan gods of pop. A three-time Grammy Award nominee, Armatrading has also been nominated twice for BRIT Awards as Best Female Artist. The way I wrote this album and the last album, Not Too Far Away — [for] both of these albums, I wrote all the words first.

The lyrics to some of my all time favourite songs in a volume typical of Joan, neat, understated, accessible and comprehensive.In the UK — where she has spent most of her life — she has placed hit singles on the charts from time to time and played the Royal Albert Hall. Highlights include the title track, the single “Already There,” the catchy “Better Life” (which has a hint of reggae) and the closing track, “To Anyone Who Will Listen.

Listening to a lot of these songs with Armatrading’s skilled arrangements attached, the antithesis is true and certain lyrics immediately shift into stranger and more passionate waters. Having interviewed her several times now, I would also take issue with the notion that she is uptight and guarded. And I think the next time I talked to you, This Charming Life had just come out, which was more of a pop-rock album. You know, when I did my degree — which I did over five years [while] I was on tour — I never told anybody.While The Advocate described Armatrading as a lesbian a few years back, she has never publicly addressed her orientation. Joan Armatrading will be making a special appearance at Waterstones, Piccadilly to sign copies of The Weakness In Me. That’s addressed on the track ‘How Cruel’ where for once she finally punches out and seems much more vital for it.