Joan Armatrading shows some motion

GIVEN THE option of two leather sofas and a comfortable armchair, Joan Armatrading chooses instead to sit on the window ledge, bathed in the pale sunlight of a November afternoon. It is probably the least comfortable seat in the room, but sitting there allows her to pull her knees up in front of her in a gesture body-language experts would doubtless interpret as defensive, and to divert her gaze onto the traffic passing by outside when she feels like some respite from the conversation. She is tall, graceful, dressing down in T-shirt, jeans and white sneakers. There is a defiant tilt to her chin, and her eyes are bright but cautious. As she talks, her hand hovers uncertainly around her mouth, giving the impression of someone careful not to give too much of themself away.