Reviewing for
Sounds, Phil Sutcliffe gave the album 5 out of 5, describing it as a "continuation of
Back to the Night, [...] maintaining the musical standards of lightness, flexibility and clarity and in several songs stepping into a new dimension of expressiveness with her lyrics." "Unrecognised as she is we
need Joan Armatrading like we need
Bob Dylan and
the Beatles. You'll play this record once in a while forever." Reviewing for
Melody Maker,
Richard Williams wrote that her "writing, singing, and playing evince a sure-footedness which borders on arrogance" and "much of this must be due to the influence of her new producer,
Glyn Johns, whose finest hour this is. Teaming her with musicians of spirit and taste, he uses textural effects (strings, added guitars, voices) with economy yet with unerring rightness: each added component strengthens the song without overcrowding the singer or the song." When reviewed in
Billboard, the album was described as "thoroughly diverse and immensely enjoyable", delivering "the kind of lyrically touching and introspective ballads that have characterized
Janis Ian's work." Writing at the time in
The Guardian,
Robin Denselow wrote that the album "showed that we now have a black artist in Britain with the same sort of vocal range, originality (in fact even greater originality in terms of musical influences) and lyrical sensitivity" as
Joni Mitchell. In a retrospective review for
AllMusic, Dave Connolly calls it Armatrading's "most muscular music to date" and particularly praises "
Down to Zero" and "Love and Affection". He also commends Glyn Johns' production. He says that the album "almost single-handedly [elevated Armatrading] into the ranks of rock's leading female artists." ==Track listing==