Sleight of Hand
	Produced by Joan Armatrading
	Released on May 1986
	UK CHART POSITION #34 . . . US CHART POSITION #68
	Find it at GEMM
SP-5130 cover [high resolution photo]

J oanie took matters into her own hands this time, producing the record and handling all the guitar parts. Sleight of Hand isn’t a markedly better record for it, but it is slightly better than Secrets. Since she became a rock artist, Joan has favored three weapons from her armament: heart, fist and grace. The “heart” songs have grown pale since “The Weakness in Me;” consider a “Everybody Gotta Know” or “Don Juan;” they’re ghostly compared to the flesh-and-blood ballads like “Willow.” The “fist” songs have never appealed to me, since Joan doesn’t run well in overdrive like a Melissa Etheridge. “Angel Man,” “One Night” and “Drop the Pilot” show that the louder she is, the lovelier she ain’t. To better channel that aggression, she’s been experimenting with choppy rhythms lately, which works sometimes (“Kind Words” sounds like a ringer for Prince) but also makes the material seem colder than it really is (warmth is crucial to Joan’s success). And then you have the graceful side of her muse, which has lately been the most rewarding for me. “Talking to the Wall” and “Russian Roulette” are devilishly clever songs that prove Joan still has a few tricks up her sleeve. However, both tracks were the exceptions on otherwise unexceptional albums. The pairing of “Russian Roulette” and “Jesse” is her highest peak since Ladders, but Sleight of Hand can’t sustain the illusion for long. There’s also a review of this at All Music Guide with a nearly identical intro. (Pity me, manunkind, my paucity of puns.)

SP-5130 back cover	SP-5130 lyric sleeve

TRACK LISTING

1. KIND WORDS (AND A REAL GOOD HEART)    3:47
2. KILLING TIME    3:58
3. REACH OUT    4:17
4. ANGEL MAN    3:42
5. LAUREL AND THE ROSE    3:49
6. ONE MORE CHANCE    5:15
7. RUSSIAN ROULETTE    4:39
8. JESSE    3:27
9. FIGURE OF SPEECH    3:30
10. DON JUAN    4:17
    
    All songs written and arranged by Joan Armatrading

CREDITS

JOAN ARMATRADING -- vocals, electric and acoustic guitar, harmonica
GEOFF DUGMORE -- drums
STEVE GREETHAM -- bass, backing vocals
ALEX WHITE -- keyboards, backing vocals
Ray Cooper -- percussion (1,9)
Mel Gaynor -- drums (1)
Eddie Golga -- guitar (5)
Wesley Magoogan -- saxophone
Jim Ross -- backing vocals
Steve Lillywhite -- mixing
Mark Wallis -- engineer
Snowdon -- photography
Michael Ross -- art direction
John Warwicker -- design

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