The Shouting Stage is the 11th studio album by Joan Armatrading, released on 29 June 1988 by A&M Records. The Shouting Stage is in many ways where you would expect Joan Armatrading to be at this stage in her career: mining familiar melodies with richer results. It’s not about the hits anymore, although if you’re looking for them, “Living For You” and “Straight Talk” won’t disappoint. It’s about quality, consistency, experience. Maybe it’s the participation of Knopfler and Alan Clark, but The Shouting Stage reminds me of the softer moments on Brothers In Arms. It flows from a natural, organic place that her last few albums didn’t in their attempt to (at least partially) please rock audiences. It isn’t an optimistic album; the lyrics are some of her darkest yet, dealing with broken trust, jealousy, being out of love. In fact, there isn’t one positive perspective on love to be found on The Shouting Stage. Yet it’s her ability to create something beautiful out of sadness and frailty that makes Joan so very special. At the same time, she continues to seek new sounds in her restless quest for idealized love, which has made the journey far more interesting for us, her traveling companions.
The album was written, arranged and produced entirely by Armatrading herself, and recorded at her home studio (Bumpkin), with mixing done at Olympic Studios, London.
01 The Devil I Know 4:13
02 Living For You 4:14
03 Did I Make You Up 3:45
04 Stronger Love 5:07
05 The Shouting Stage 5:27
06 Words 3:46
07 Innocent Request 3:08
08 Straight Talk 4:02
09 Watch Your Step 3:58
10 All A Woman Needs 5:01
11 Dark Truths 2:09
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