The result was "a wonderful experience for all" with "a good atmosphere, friendly and relaxed",[4] and because of the extra time taken over the recording, Armatrading had more choice over the musicians she invited to take part.

For this album, like her others, Armatrading supplied demos for the songs which she had recorded herself, with guide vocals already on them, since she was reluctant as always, because of her shyness, to sing in front of other musicians.

She would write out chord charts for the musicians, though these were not always easy to follow since as Phil Palmer, who played on the album observed, she often used "eccentric guitar tunings".

"[6] "Living For You" grew out of a suggestion by Jamie Lane that Armatrading should write songs based on rhythms generated by a drum machine.

[7][8][9] Armatrading's biographer Sean Mayes described the song as "very atmospheric and classy … with Joan's vocals casting back to Nina Simone.

[13] AllMusic reviewer William Ruhlmann praised the "spare" sound and "tasteful" accompaniment, but said that "lyrically, Armatrading seems trapped in a romantic cul-de-sac – when she doesn't have the object of her affections, she longs for him, but when she does have him, she argues with him and suspects him of infidelity, not to mention emotional abuse".

[15] Armatrading did a small amount of promotion following the release of the album, including a radio interview with broadcaster Paul Gambaccini, and then embarked on a two-month tour.

[16] Phil Palmer, who played on the album, felt that the tour was a less than satisfying experience for Armatrading, with some shows not selling out, and put this down to "management cutting corners".