Joan Armatrading’s new studio album Not Too Far Away is set for release on BMG on May 18. 2018. On the album, the celebrated guitarist/vocalist/songwriter presents ten new tracks that are said to take the deeply personal and make it universal (just the way we like it, BTW).

From the passionate appeal of the opening song “I Like It When We’re Together” to the heartfelt “No More Pain” — where Joan jumps straight in with the line, “This pain is my protection” — these are lyrics that tell it how it is, a longtime Armatrading hallmark.

Not Too Far Away also features the haunting and rather melancholic “Cover My Eyes,” the tough and complex “Invisible (Blue Light),” the wistful title track that’s infused with longing, the instantly memorable and anthemic “Any Place,” the solo piano accompaniment of “Always in My Dreams,” and the jaunty “This Is Not That.”

The SoundBard has long-appreciated Armatrading’s underrated talents, with “Cold Blue Stole My Heart” (from 1975’s Back to the Night) and “Love and Affection” (from 1976’s Joan Armatrading) being one of my favorite tracks in her recorded canon. I had the privilege of interviewing Joan in April 2015, and found her to be quite insightful about her creative process. “I’m quite, quite consistent, and people can relate to that in my songs. Some writers go into the studio with a vague idea about the tune, or just have a part. The rest of the band puts it together with the producer, and everybody chips in. That’s not me,” she explained. “I need to write the song. While I wanted to producer to make it sound really, really good, I have an idea how I want it to sound. That’s the main thing for me.” (You can read my full interview with Joan on the site here.)

Not Too Far Away is Joan’s 21st album and for it, she has written, sung, arranged, and produced all of the tracks herself, as well as playing all the instruments except for drums (which she programmed). It comprises the studio follow-up to a genre-based trilogy — This Charming Life ?(2010), the jazz-oriented Starlight (2012), and the blues-based Into The Blues (2007) — the latter of which went straight to the top of the Billboard Blues Chart, making Joan the first British female artist ever to do so.