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I'll never write my memoirs
There's nothing in book
The only way you'll see me-- an art groupie
I'm hooked
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When I think of experimental music, I feel like Grace Jones sculpted the media more than most in the early 1980s. Disco was dead, and Ms. Jones already had a trio of underground LPs on her hands, but there was something about her ferocity and frightening presence that helped her transfer over from disco to reggae/new wave so, so well. Unlike the crunchy rock sounds of Duran Duran or the broken licks from Marianne Faithfull, Grace took reggae and remixed it to a point where it sounded avant-garde and unabashedly original. Though her 1980 album
Warm Leatherette was 90% comprised of cover mixes, it was her keen sense of style and vocal presence that made her material better than the respective originals-- she improved on musical geniuses like Tom Petty, Smokey Robinson, and Bryan Ferry-- and Grace Jones had something special. Not more than a year later did she drop the iconic
Nightclubbing record, which is commonly regarded as her masterpiece of sorts. When I started divulging in Grace's discography a few years ago, I did so under the notion that I wanted to like her. Her imagery was stark and impressive, and it kind of seemed like she was the type of artist the freaky gay college student
should like, kind of like Björk. What ended up happening, though, was that her music outshone her imagery. Through albums like
Nightclubbing, I have learned to respect Grace Jones on an entirely new level. The fact that I have her entire discography on my Zune is no longer a pretentious list-- it's an essential segment.
Grace Jones was not a songwriter at this time (at least, not that I know of), but slowly she began to putting her ideas to paper. While I feel that Grace's talent is in the same vein as Tina Turner and she doesn't particularly need to be a lyricist to create of art, she turned out to be quite talented with a jar of ink.
Warm Leatherette only featured one song with original Grace lyrics, but
Nightclubbing features a slight influx of her creativity, contributing to her highest-charting dance hit
Pull Up to the Bumper, a rye and funky take on sex. I must admit that while I do not think this is her masterpiece-magnum-opus album, it comes very close to being perfect. One of three albums produced at Compass Point Studios with Sly & Robbie,
Nightclubbing features some of the most bizarre interludes I've ever heard. Imagine reggae. I mean, go to Jamaica and think of reggae. Okay, well, this is nothing like that. The sound of this album is much more haunting, warped, and a wee bit frightening. I'd imagine this is the record I would hear if I were alone in Paris at 4 AM, just after taking a fistful of strange orange pills that I thought were tic-tacs. With minor dance flourishes through-out like the Jones-original
Feel Up and a matronly recording of Sting's
Demolition Man, I'm unsure when and where this album would be appropriate aside from when you indulge in your inner-artsy-fartsy side.
Grace Jones is like living abstract art (as appropriately outlined on the autobiographical diddy
Art Groupie), and her albums are usually no different. In my eyes, following up
Warm Leatherette is not the easiest feat-- it's probably my favorite of all her releases. But the material on this album seems to have come from the same batch from its predecessor, focusing on that warped style of reggae-underground that's as freaky as it is intriguing. The difficult-to-swallow imagery of the
Nightclubbing era, rather than overpowering the music, becomes a vital part of the listening experience. This is what makes Grace Jones such a successful model as well as performer. She has a way of delivering such a powerful package that it's difficult to deny her individuality. If you're looking to check out Grace Jones as a singer, this is where most fans and critics will tell you start, and I have to agree. Out of all of her records,
Nightclubbing is awkwardly both alienating and accessible.
VERDICT
01. Walking in the Rain [4 Stars]
02. Pull Up to the Bumper [5 Stars] 03. Use Me [4 Stars]
04. Nightclubbing [5 Stars]
05. Art Groupie [5 Stars] 06. I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango) [4 Stars]
07. Feel Up [4.5 Stars]
08. Demolition Man [5 Stars] 09. I've Done It Again [4 Stars]
BEST: Demolition Man WORST: I've Done It Again SCORE: 5 STARS [4.5+ ]
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GRACE JONES 1977 - Portfolio1980 - Warm Leatherette 1981 - Nightclubbing
2008 - Hurricane
Tower Records
