Portfolio (Reis) [Import]

Grace Jones | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 15, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1977
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Island/Ariola
• ASIN: B000001FU7
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,317 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Wildly Uneven Debut, July 20, 2000

By 

J. Collins "Paradise Bar & Grill" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Portfolio (Reis) (Audio CD)

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

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ROBOTIC DISCO, December 27, 2000

By 

ryan aldridge (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Portfolio (Reis) (Audio CD)

Grace's debut works so well exactly because of her robotic delivery and her aloof vocal style. This was the sneering, cynical but glamorous disco queen irreverently covering classics like La Vie En Rose, Send In The Clowns and Tomorrow. I love it.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Grace Makes A Splash, July 25, 2001

By 

disco75 "disco75" (State College, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Portfolio (Reis) (Audio CD)

The story is well known-- Grace Jones, club acolyte, was approached at a disco to consider recording her own style of dance music. Her fierce yet campy persona lent itself to just such an endeavor. She readily admitted to not having much of a singing voice, but like her, who wouldn't have accepted such an opportunity? This initial effort contained the seeds for her subsequent career, spanning the icy, detached aspect, the campy show biz side, and the romantic. As a whole, the CD is terrible; as a document of the predecessor to the more interesting and substantial things to come, it is a novelty. "I Need A Man" worked the disco sensibility effectively, both as a high-BPM dance number and as as reflection of the sexual mores of the time. "La Vie En Rose" combined the showy with the feminine sides of Grace. Both of these standout tracks are available elsewhere. "That's The Trouble" is only notable for its history as the first song Grace recorded. "Sorry" is the other workable track, conveying the singer's (mock?) regret that her lover won't share her with another man in true camp style.