CRITICS PIC - The ONION

"Headliner Joan Armatrading set the table for all sorts of confessional folkies in the early '70's when she started fusing soul and reggae with the gentle string-sweep of that softly lit era. Most impressive about her body of work is its success rate: Though she doesn't avoid new tactics that might backfire, she never made a truly bad album in more than 30 years. From stinging message songs to lighter-load diversions, her work has remained tight and on-point, all the way through her recent "Into The Blues."