Grace Jones

By all means a phenomenal pop album that hit number nine on the black albums chart and crossed over to penetrate the pop charts at number 32, Nightclubbing saw Grace Jones working once again with Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, and the remainder of the Compass Point team. Nightclubbing also continues Jones' tradition of picking excellent songs to reinterpret. This time out, the Police's "Demolition Man," Bill Withers' "Use Me," and Iggy Pop's "Nightclubbing" receive radical reinterpretations; "Nightclubbing" is glacial in both tempo and lack of warmth, while both "Use Me" and "Demolition Man" fit perfectly into Jones' lyrical scheme…

Grace Jones teamed with the great reggae production duo of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare on this 1980 album, and made the transition from straight dance and club act into quasi-pop star with reggae and urban contemporary leanings. The single "Private Life" was one of her best, and the overall album had more energy and production gloss than previous LPs that had been aimed completely at the club market. It helped that Jones seemed enthused about the session and really put herself into the songs.

Grace Jones' flamboyant outfits and statuesque looks made her one of the most unforgettable characters to emerge from New York in the late '70s. Teaming the singer/model with Chic mainman Nile Rodgers was a musical marriage made in heaven. Rodgers' sleek and funky production wrapped around Jones' deadpan and powerful delivery created some of the most memorable music of her career. With former Camera Club leader Bruce Woolley on keyboards and songwriting chores, this was a perfect blend of New York sass and New Wave sauce. 10 tracks including 'I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect For You)'. Inside Story would become one of Jones' greatest album successes, making the top 40 in a number of European countries. A remastered edition of the album was released in 2004 on EMI Records, along with Bulletproof Heart. Unlike the latter, re-released Inside Story came with no bonus tracks.

Originally released in 1985, Island Life compiles highlights from Grace Jones' 1977 debut through 1985’s Slave to the Rhythm. It’s a concise overview that features four Top Ten U.S. club hits (“I Need a Man,” “Do or Die,” “Pull Up to the Bumper,” “Slave to the Rhythm”), as well as an additional smattering of choice cuts from her late-‘70s collaborations with Tom Moulton and her stellar ‘80s work with Sly & Robbie. It’s a decent introduction for casual fans but lacks crucial material like “Warm Leatherette” and “Nipple to the Bottle.” A later edition, dubbed Island Life 2, adds "Pars," "Feel Up," and two remixes of "Sex Drive."

Portfolio is the debut album by Grace Jones, released in 1977 by Island Records. It spawned her first big hit, "La Vie en rose". Having enjoyed a successful modelling career in Paris and New York in the early 1970s, Grace Jones released a series of singles throughout 1975-1976. None of them, however, managed to succeed in mainstream charts. Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977 and found wider recognition only with her debut Island LP, Portfolio.