Joan Armatrading: Wembley Arena, London

THERE IS about Joan Armatrading a quality of self-containment, resolution and a complete absence of any suggestion of faddishness, artifice or compromise which is enormously impressive. It shines through in the unassuming yet stylish dress, the calm and almost stately presence, the unmistakable aura that here is a performer who knows exactly what she is doing. This is a rare quality in pop music nowadays, so rare it would almost be enough in itself to make Armatrading a great artist, never mind the sheer class of her songs or the deeply affecting quality of her voice.