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Secret Secrets

Secret Secrets
Secret Secrets - Joan Armatrading album.jpg
Studio album by Joan Armatrading
Released 4 February 1985
Recorded Battery Studios, London
Genre Pop
Length 41:07
Label A&M
Producer Mike Howlett
Joan Armatrading chronology
The Key
(1983)
Secret Secrets
(1985)
Sleight of Hand
(1986)

Secret Secrets is the ninth studio album by British singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading, released on 4 February 1985 by A&M (AMA 5040). The album was recorded and mixed at Battery Studios (previously known as Morgan Studios), in Willesden, London. It reached number 14 on the UK Album Chart and was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 60,000 copies. The album peaked at number 18 in Australia. The album had little success with singles, with its only charting hit, "Temptation", stalling at no.65 on the UK Singles Chart.

The producer for Secret Secrets was Mike Howlett, who had previous success producing for bands such as OMD, China Crisis and Berlin. Alex Sadkin, who had produced three albums with Grace Jones, was approached but he was not available at the time.Secret Secrets was the last album for which Armatrading worked with a producer as she has produced all subsequent albums herself. At the time of this album's release, Armatrading was having her own studio built in the grounds of her home, and she eventually named it Bumpkin Studio.

Armatrading arranged all the songs on this album herself, since during this time she was increasingly taking control of most aspects of her music. Howlett felt that Armatrading did not in fact really need a producer, except in the area of recording vocals, as this was "always a difficult process to do oneself".

In The Faber Companion to 20th Century Popular Music, Phil Hardy and Dave Laing commented that the album showed "a stronger rock influence" than many of her previous ones, particularly on tracks like "Persona Grata", and this is unsurprising given the involvement of Howlett. Originally, Howlett had wanted Armatrading "to head much more back towards Joan Armatrading – her third studio album and a much more blues and folk influenced one, and an album which he described as his "favourite". The musicians for Secret Secrets were chosen by Armatrading and Howlett, and the idea to have a brass section on the album came from Joe Jackson, another A&M artist who was brought in to play on the track "Love By You".


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