Square the Circle

AMG Review of Square the Circle

William Ruhlmann
All Music Guide

Joan Armatrading, who has spent the better part of her career demanding greater commitment and fidelity from men than they seem willing to give her, turns the tables on her 13th album, abandoning herself to lust for "the wrong guy" and unfaithfulness to her beloved. The equation produces interesting, if not always successful, results, such as the characteristically convoluted "Can't Get Over (How I Broke Your Heart)," but makes a poor lead-in to the philosophical "If Women Ruled the World," which proves that sexism sounds just as lame-brained coming from a woman as it does coming from a man. "Not all men kill babies," Armatrading admits, which is certainly a relief to hear. But if women ruled the world, there would be "no more war, no more hate...no more sons dying young." This from a woman who lived under the Margaret Thatcher regime during the Falklands War.