Weekly Review: Grace Jones – Nightclubbing
this week for the weekly review, i’m taking a look at Nightclubbing, the 1981 record from Grace Jones. i’ve not really listened to much Grace Jones before, other than a listen or two to Pull Up to the Bumper, so i’m excited to dig in!
our opener here is Walking In the Rain, a cover of a track i’ve not heard before from a band called Flash and the Pan – it’s a subdued kind of track that moves with a purposeful energy. there’s something extremely sultry to it, and Jones’ vocal delivery causes the track to feel very much like a cinematic opening. neat way to kick things off. Pull Up to the Bumper is a Certified Bop. extremely funny and suggestive, this one’s got a great groove and a fantastic energy to it. and that guitar and synth hook is so goddamn infectious! big fan. Use Me is a Bill Withers cover – very fun to hear the energy Jones brings to the track. Nightclubbing is an Iggy Pop cover – it’s dark and deliberate, which i deeply respect but am not always in the mood for. Art Groupie is p chill. don’t got a ton to say here, but i do like the way they play off the minimal instrumental off Jones’ vocals here. I’ve Seen That Face Before (Libertango) is an extremely interesting track – another sultry kind of track, like a chance encounter in a dark Paris alley. in reading about this record, it’s a reworking of an old tango track, Libertango. very neat! Feel Up’s p fun but probably the track here i feel the most middling about. Demolition Man has a fantastic energy to it – this one was written by Sting and given to Jones to record here, and the Police would later do their own version of it. extremely fun track, i had a great time with this one. the closer here, I’ve Done It Again, feels like it’s being delivered while Jones is sitting on a piano and there’s poison coursing through my veins. it’s a very neat experience, and a nice, slow let down from Demolition Man. cool way to play the record out.
faves – Pull Up to the Bumper, Demolition Man
dislikes –
yeah on the whole i had a great time. fun new wave vibes, p extensive reggae rhythms, and some extremely danceable tracks over the whole runtime of the record. i’ll be honest though – i think this is one of those record where i’ve heard so many of the songs this record would go on to inspire that i’m not getting the full experience of the record, but that’s just an unfortunate side effect of being born over a decade after a record comes out, haha. what is here is extremely fun (and sexy, don’t think i’m forgetting that), and while i won’t always be in the mood for the whole record, this is def one i recommend giving a listen to.
Nightclubbing – 7/10
next week, i’ll be listening to a record i’m no stranger to, but that i’m excited to spend a little more time with: Death Grips’ No Love Deep Web. i’ll be back next Friday, February 24th with that review and to pick another weekly record, and in the meantime, let me know what album you’d like me to review! (i pool all suggestions in one place, and draw a person, then one pick from that person, so feel free to drop as many as you’d like! if you leave an email or username i’ll contact you when i’ve gotten through all your suggestions.)
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