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27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Wildly Uneven Debut, July 20, 2000
Unless you're a huge Grace Jones fan or you consider Disco to be your musical bible, this album should probably be avoided. Though I've been a fan since the days of "Living My Life," I still find it incredibly hard to sit through Grace's first two albums, including this one. It matters little that the music and presentation here are authentic disco....much of it is unlistenable.The first three tracks should be avoided at all costs; though Grace later found a way to sing around the deficiencies of her range and vibrato, these songs suffer greatly from her vocal inexperience, just as listeners are likely to suffer. Without the benefit of seeing her original (over the top) stage shows from this period, these songs fall as flat as Grace's voice sounds when she sings them. "Tomorrow" (from the Broadway musical "Annie") is particularly repellent, the vocal equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard. The original side two of the album is a measurable improvement, and includes a version of Edith Piaf's "La Vie En Rose" which is simply wonderful. Indeed, the production for this song is an engaging departure from disco norms: gentle accoustic guitar, delightful keyboard fills and an un-obtrusive rhythmic pulse propel this song more effectively than the standard big bass drum. Though Grace has to talk-sing in parts, her delight in and devotion for this song makes this one of her most affecting vocal performances. The remainder of the "B" side has some pleasant moments. "Sorry" seems uncharacteristically sentimental (for Grace) but is still appealing. "I Need A Man" is dynamic and direct, like the best songs in Grace's catalog. Grace released three albums of "old school" disco before graduating to reggae flavored dance music. Though there are memorable performances from that period, Grace's old-time Disco tracks are generally more appealing if taken out of context. That is, any "best of" that covers this period will give you the representative hits without the appalling misses. It's ironic that her best entire album from the Disco era, "Muse," has been out of print for close to twenty years. Though the only hit on "Muse" was "On Your Knees," the album is worth searching out for it's top-notch disco production, memorable songs and great vocals from Grace. My apologies to the Grace diehards here, but I can't recommend "Portfolio" to anyone who isn't already a fan. This album is more likely to alienate listeners (on the whole) than it is likely to win Miss Jones any new supporters. -Mic
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by Grace Jones 
