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+

Grace Jones’ last disco outing came in 1979 titled: Muse; once again produced by disco pioneer Tom Moulton. Ever since her debut in 1977 she had improved with every record, further evolving her vocal and musical vision. “Muse” is a fine piece of work; everything is thoroughly worked through, her vocal has improved and the instrumentals are utilized even better than her last two efforts. The lead single from the album is “On Your Knees” which was a club hit in 1979, the song doesn’t really do the album justice; “I’ll Find My Way to You” is stunning and “Atlantic City Gambler” was the only song Tom Moulton ever wrote himself. Her outrageous stage shows were groundbreaking; performing onstage with lions and other exotic animals. She was a club legend. Side one of “Muse” is a non stop medley; going through “Sinning” to the gospel influenced “Saved” in which Grace delivers a stunning vocal performance. “Suffer” to “Don’t Mess With the Messer” everything all adds up; Muse is perhaps her most appealing album to date, and that includes even her later work with Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. Shame it hasn’t been issued on Compact Disc yet, but the day will come – we just don’t know when.

Grace Jones left Island Records in 1986 and got signed to Manhattan Records in 1986. Her first effort sparked some notice with the dance hit “I’m Not Perfect (But I’m Perfect for You). Her second and last record to date came in 1989 after two years of production, it’s a blend of typical 80’s pop/ dance mixed with funky r’n’b beats and hip hop rhythms. The lead single of the album is “Love on Top of Love” which is a fine dance number and Grace delivers the vocals to the teeth. Other highlights on this album are the ominous “Amado Mio”, the graceful “On My Way” and the illustrial off-the-album single “Dream.” Much of “Bulletproof Heart” simply doesn’t work; such as the horrible title track and the hard hitting “Driving Satisfaction.” The rap on “Crack Attack” borders cheesy and “Paper Plan” illustrates how much she struggles to sing the ballad genre. Anyways, this album might not be the highlight of her career, although it’s her last to date, it does hold some historical importance for Grace Jones’ music career and for her fans as well. Bonus tracks: Love on Top of Love/ Killer Kiss (Garage House Mix) & Amado Mio (Brazilian Mix).

When Sony Music released “The Collection” in 2004 they compiled a collection of obscure albums tracks – instead of including Jones’ greatest hits, they chose less well known songs and dubbed it “The Collection” instead of “Greatest Hits of Grace Jones” or “Best of Grace Jones.” In truth, “The Collection” does manage to give an interesting introduction to Jones’ music catalogue, from early disco cuts: “I Need a Man” to a late-1997 demo: “Ring of Fire” it does manage to cover a lot of ground. Still, it excludes such essentials as: “Pull Up to the Bumper”, “My Jamaican Guy” and the club legend: “Slave to the Rhythm.” Working with what we’ve been giving – it still includes many of her most-well known songs; the rhythmically appealing “Nipple to the Bottle”, “Love Is the Drug”, “I’ve Seen That Face Before” and her legendary take on Piaf’s “La Vie En Rose.” The latter being especially memorable. “The Collection” also has the special privilege of having a rare album track from 1978’s “Fame” All on a Summers Night, which brings back the best of memories from Grace’s disco days at famed Studio 54. When it all comes down to it; “The Colletion” is not a proper introduction nor is it a compilation of her best, it’s simply an album that compiles a taster of this obscure, but stunningly beautiful disco pioneer.

Fierce and stunning debut from 21-year old Irish; Sinéad O’Connor. “The Lion and The Cobra” was and still is one of the best debut albums of all times; her talent was raw and fierce – hitting you right between the eyes.
The opening song “Jackie” is a startling tale about a woman who wanders the shores, searching for her love lost at the sea, long after her death: “I’ve been dead for twenty year/ I’ve been washing the sands with my golden tears/ searching the shores for my Jackie.” The second song (and first single) is the rocking “Mandinka” which makes for a breath of release on this otherwise dark, but astonishingly beautiful portrait. “I have walked in the garden/ felt religion within” she sings on the stunning “Just Like U Said It Would B” which is a mix of traditional Irish folk, and modern New Age that was happening at the time (practically invented by her friend; Enya) we’ll return to her later. On “Never Get Old” she displays an almost God-like character with the soprano voice and constant chanting. On this song she reads (with Enya) the verse “The Lion and The Cobra in Gaelich. “Troy” perhaps one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded. The lyrics are so startling close to her personal trauma, reading about a woman who rises from the ashes of a failed relationship. “I Want Your (Hands on Me)” the only real dance-hit on the album. The album ends with another stunning piece of self-proclaiming suave: “Drink Before the War” ending a startling beautiful album that keeps inspiring you singers and humans alike. Stunningly beautiful.