''Show Some Emotion'' is the fourth studio album by British singer-songwriter

Joan Armatrading Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading (, born 9 December 1950) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. Her first major commercial success came with her third and fourth albums, '' Joan Armatrading'' (1976) and '' Show Some Emotion'' (1977), a ...

, released in 1977 on A&M. It reached No. 6 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

, No. 52 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart, and No. 18 on the Australian

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music historian David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July 19 ...

albums chart. Armatrading's 1979 live album '' Steppin' Out'' contains two tracks from ''Show Some Emotion'', "Mama Mercy" and "Kissin' and a Huggin'".

Reception

In a review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, Dave Connolly wrote that he did not enjoy the album as much as her previous album, declaring that much of it was "like outtakes from that effort". He criticised the lyrics and arrangements, as well as the track placement. However, he praised "Show Some Emotion" and "Willow" as highlights.

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

, on the other hand, called Armatrading "sometimes funny, always real, and never ever pretentious", but wrote that "most of the meaning of the ordinary-plus lyrics is conveyed by stance and nuance". ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' called ''Show Some Emotion'' a "lovely ... casual-sounding album of songs that, if not among her best, are more than presentable and occasionally captivating". ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' wrote that "Armatrading combines influences from her native West Indies and adopted England, and her voice projects both tenderness and power".

Track listing

All tracks composed by Joan Armatrading. Side One #"Woncha Come on Home" – 2:40 #"Show Some Emotion" – 3:31 #"Warm Love" – 3:04 #"Never Is Too Late" – 5:32 #"Peace in Mind" – 3:19 Side Two #"Opportunity" – 3:25 #"Mama Mercy" – 2:47 #"Get in the Sun" – 3:19 #"Willow" – 4:53 #"Kissin' and a Huggin'" – 4:42

Personnel

* Joan Armatrading – lead vocals, acoustic guitar; thumb piano (mbira) on "Woncha Come on Home" *

Jerry Donahue Jerry Donahue (born September 24, 1946, Manhattan, New York City) is an American guitarist and producer primarily known for his work in the British folk rock scene as a member of Fotheringay and Fairport Convention as well as being a member of ...

– electric guitar;

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...

on "Opportunity" * Bryan Garofalo – bass guitar * Dave Markee – bass *

Georgie Fame Georgie Fame (born Clive Powell; 26 June 1943) is an English R&B and jazz musician. Fame, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still performing, often working with contemporaries such as Alan Price, Van Morrison and Bill Wyman. Fame is the only B ...

– Fender Rhodes electric piano *

John "Rabbit" Bundrick John Douglas "Rabbit" Bundrick (born November 21, 1948) is an American keyboardist and vocalist. He is best known for his work with The Who and associations with others including Eric Burdon, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Roger Waters, Free and ...

–

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

Tim Hinkley Timothy Alan Hinkley (25 May 1946 – 21 August 2024) was an English singer-songwriter, keyboardist and record producer. Born in London, Hinkley started playing in youth club bands in the early 1960s, with bands including the Copains, Boys and ...

–

on "Peace in Mind", piano on "Kissin' and a Huggin'" *

Mel Collins Melvyn Desmond Collins (born 5 September 1947, Isle of Man) is a British saxophonist, flautist and session musician. Collins has played in several progressive rock groups, having been a member of King Crimson on two occasions (the first from ...

–

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

on "Mama Mercy" and "Kissin' and a Huggin'" *

David Kemper David Law Kemper (born 1947/8 in Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 Unit ...

– drums *

Kenney Jones Kenneth Thomas Jones (born 16 September 1948) is an English drummer best known for his work in the groups Small Faces, Faces and the Who. Jones was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Small Faces/Faces. Biograp ...

– drums on "Opportunity" *

Henry Spinetti Enrico Antonio Giorgio Spinetti (born 31 March 1951) is a Welsh session drummer whose playing has featured on many prominent rock and pop albums. Career Spinetti was born in Cwm, near Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire, Wales.) His first band, aged abou ...

– drums on "Warm Love" and "Kissin' and a Huggin'" * Joe Scott – background vocals on "Opportunity" and "Get in the Sun" *

Clarke Peters Peter Clarke (born April 7, 1952), known professionally as Clarke Peters, is an American actor, writer, and director, who has spent much of his adult life in the United Kingdom. He is best known for his roles as Lester Freamon in the television ...

credited as Pete Clarke – background vocals on "Opportunity" and "Get in the Sun" * Brian Rogers – string arrangement and conductor on "Warm Love"

Technical

Glyn Johns Glyn Thomas Johns (born 15 February 1942) is an English recording engineer and record producer. He has worked with many of the most famous rock recording acts from both the UK and abroad, such as the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Who, ...

– producer, engineer *

Jon Astley Jon Astley (born 1951) is a British record producer and mastering engineer. He is best known for his co-production work with Glyn Johns on the Who's eighth studio album ''Who Are You'' (1978), and later remastering supervision for all of the grou ...

– assistant engineer * Fabio Nicoli – art direction * Nick Marshall – design * David Montgomery – sleeve photography

References

{{Authority control 1977 albums Joan Armatrading albums Albums produced by Glyn Johns Albums recorded at Olympic Sound Studios A&M Records albums