Grace Jones Gets Her Head Examined

When Grace Jones first broke onto the scene over twenty years ago, my genderblending friends and I welcomed her to the club, but always thought of her more as a Jean Paul Goude media creation and personality than a true talent. Well, after 19 years of silence, she’s back to prove us wrong. Her new CD Hurricane ranges from the obligatory dub-derived club grooves to the unexpectedly sensitive and soulful , with masterful production (thanks to Sly and Robbie, Brian Eno and Tricky) that makes you feel like you’re opening a new present over and over each time you listen. The release cleverly manages to capture the essence of her early sound while somehow sounding timeless in spite of the extensive use of electronics, kind of like Seal’s secret dark sister. Although the cover art is suggestive of Goude’s other media creations (check out this classic Citroen ad featuring Grace Jones on YouTube) it was actually conceived by artist Tom Hingston. And yes, that’s an actual mold of Jones’ head in the photo here, rendered in chocolate.