A Classic

Grace Jones – Portfolio
Island Records 1977

Produced by Tom Moulton for Beam Junction

Rating:

# Review #
Grace Jones had a successful period as a disco diva during the late seventies; produced and packaged by disco pioneer Tom Moulton, Grace managed to roll on the title “Queen of Gay Discos”.
Her debut record arrived in 1977 titled “Portfolio” and it was a hit; the song “I Need a Man” is one of the biggest disco anthems of the decade and the gold selling single “La Vie En Rose” has been called one of the best covers of Piaf’s immortal classic. The first three songs (or side A of the original LP) is a non-stop medley; comprising songs from different Broadway shows “Send in the Clowns” from “A Little Night Music”, “What I Did For Lover” from “A Chorus Line” and “Tomorrow” from the hit musical “Annie”.
The medley is a mixed pleasure, the rhythms are great and the instruments are as usually are when it’s done by Tom Moulton. Grace, however, does her best at these songs, unfortunately her voice sometimes sounds so screechy; her vocals on “Tomorrow” are especially painful, she struggles to hit the high notes and so, her voice falls flat. Grace was one of the head liners and the famed Studio 54 and she often performed these songs; La Vie En Rose was a huge hit back then, and it’s understandable why. Grace delivers a powerful vocal performance; she sings around her limits and instead of singing directly, she sing-speaks in parts (which she continued to master furthermore on future albums). Side B (or the three next songs) are lighthearted affairs such as the delightfully mellow “Sorry” and the boisterous “That’s the Trouble” which was, in fact, the first song she ever recorded. The album closes with her then-anthem “I Need a Man” which, as I mentioned, was a huge gay disco hit. Portfolio, overall remains a disco classic, unfortunately, the album promises more than it delivers. Rate: B+