Hurricane (Grace Jones album)

Hurricane is the tenth studio album by singer Grace Jones, released in 2008, and her first album of new material in nineteen years. The album includes a number of autobiographical songs and the title track was first recorded as a 1997 collaboration with Tricky under the title "Cradle to the Grave". The album sold over 100,000 in Europe only and three years after the original release, Jones released a dub version of it. Hurricane – Dub came out on September 5, 2011.

Hurricane
Studio album by
Grace Jones
Released3 November 2008 (original)
5 September 2011 (Hurricane - Dub)
Recorded2004–2007
Genre
Length48:40 (original)
50:26 (Hurricane - Dub)
Label
Producer
Grace Jones chronology
The Ultimate Collection
(2006)		 Hurricane
(2008)		 Disco
(2015)
Hurricane – Dub cover
Singles from Hurricane
  1. "Corporate Cannibal"
    Released: August 24, 2008
  2. "Williams' Blood"
    Released: December 8, 2008
  3. "Well Well Well"
    Released: 2009
  4. "Love You to Life"
    Released: May 3, 2010
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic72/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
BBC MusicFavourable[3]
The Guardian[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
NME[6]
The Observer[7]
Pitchfork7.5/10[8]
Record Collector[9]
Slant Magazine[10]
Spin[11]
The Village VoiceFavourable[12]

Background

Grace Jones' previous album, Bulletproof Heart, was released in 1989, and despite several comeback attempts throughout the 1990s, her next full-length record would be released almost two decades later. The singer had decided "never to do an album again",[13] changing her mind only after meeting the music producer Ivor Guest via mutual friend Philip Treacy. After becoming acquainted, Guest played Jones a track he had been working on and she set her lyrics "Devil in My Life" to it. In 2007 Guest announced that he and Jones had completed recording the album.

The album includes a number of autobiographical songs, these include "This Is", "Williams' Blood" and "I'm Crying (Mother's Tears)". "Love You to Life" is another track based on real events and "Corporate Cannibal" refers to the subject of corporate capitalism. The title track was first recorded as a 1997 collaboration with Tricky under the title "Cradle to the Grave". "Well Well Well" is dedicated to the memory of Alex Sadkin, who had died in 1987, having co-produced three of Jones' 1980s albums. "Sunset Sunrise" ponders mankind's relationship with nature, and the final song, "Devil in My Life", was written after a party in Venice while Jones was standing in the corner observing partygoers. Four songs were ultimately removed from the track listing: "The Key to Funky" (co-written by Jones and Diane Pernet in the late '80s), "Body Phenomenon", "Sister Sister" and "Misery". Another track recorded by Jones, "Volunteer", was leaked in 2007 by Leslie Winer, together with "This", an early version of "This Is".[14] Winer also asserted that she had written both songs with Joe Galdo in the early 1990s.[15] Mainly with Sly and Robbie, Wally Badarou, Barry Reynolds, Mikey Chung and Uziah "Sticky" Thompson, aka the Compass Point Allstars as a backbone, the album retained the reggae-influenced sound of her three Compass Point albums even though it was not recorded at the legendary studios in the Bahamas.

Originally rumoured to be titled Corporate Cannibal,[16] the album's final title Hurricane and the release date of 27 October were announced in June 2008, at her signing with Wall of Sound.[17]

Artwork

The front and back covers of the album features pictures of chocolate heads of Jones, which she revealed on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross shortly before Hurricane's release. Photographs included in the booklet picture the singer as a chocolate factory worker, complete with uniform and name tag.[18] Chocolate heads, as well as arms and legs were molded at the Thorntons chocolate factory in Derbyshire, England[19] by lifecasting expert John Schoonraad, his son Tristan and artist Nick Reynolds.

Release and promotion

Prior to the release, Jones performed a two-hour concert at Massive Attack's Meltdown festival in London on 19 June 2008, during which she performed four new songs from the album and premiered the music video for the first single, "Corporate Cannibal".[20][21] For further album promotion, Jones appeared on British television talk show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, several awards galas, and embarked on The Hurricane Tour in January 2009, which garnered positive reviews.

The album was released on Wall of Sound on November 3, 2008 in the United Kingdom. PIAS, the parent company of Wall of Sound, distributed Hurricane worldwide, excluding North America.[22]

Jones dedicated the album to the memory of her father, Bishop Robert W. Jones".[23]

Critical reception

It met with positive reception, obtaining a score of 72 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic.[24]

Commercial performance

In 2009. It was awarded a gold certification from the Independent Music Companies Association which indicated sales of at least 100,000 copies throughout Europe.[25]

Singles

"Corporate Cannibal" became the album's first single, released in August 2008 and promoted at the Meltdown festival. The song did not chart. The second single, "Williams' Blood", was released in December, and subsequently became a charting success in Belgium. A promotional only single, "Well Well Well", was released in 2009. "Love You to Life" was chosen as the third commercial single in 2009, but its release would be postponed for over a year.

Re-release

Three years after the original Hurricane release, Jones released a dub version of the album. Hurricane – Dub came out on September 5, 2011. The dub versions were made by Ivor Guest, with contributions from Adam Green, Frank Byng, Robert Logan and Ben Cowan.

The dub re-release of Hurricane features new artwork by Jean-Paul Goude of Jones smoking a cigarette whilst wearing a sparkling hat.

Track listing

Original release
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."This Is"
  • Grace Jones
  • Mark van Eyck
5:35
2."Williams' Blood"
5:57
3."Corporate Cannibal"
5:54
4."I'm Crying (Mother's Tears)"
  • Jones
  • Guest
4:31
5."Well Well Well"
3:51
6."Hurricane"
6:33
7."Love You to Life"
5:20
8."Sunset Sunrise"
  • Jones
  • Woolley
  • Paulo Goude
5:11
9."Devil in My Life"
5:48

Hurricane – Dub
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."This Is Dub"
  • Grace Jones
  • Mark van Eyck
4:35
2."Williams Dub"
  • Jones
  • Lisa Coleman
  • Wendy Melvoin
5:40
3."Cannibal Dub"
  • Jones
  • van Eyck
  • Adam Green
  • Ivor Guest
5:16
4."Well Well Well Dub"
  • Jones
  • Barry Reynolds
4:10
5."Crying Dub"
  • Jones
  • Guest
4:58
6."Hurricane Dub"
  • Jones
  • Tricky
5:20
7."Love You to Life Dub"
  • Jones
  • van Eyck
  • Bruce Woolley
5:20
8."Sunset Dub"
  • Jones
  • Woolley
  • Paulo Goude
4:45
9."Devil Dub"
  • Jones
  • Guest
  • van Eyck
  • Leopold Ross
5:17
10."Hell Dub"
  • Jones
  • Guest
5:04

Personnel

Chart positions
Chart Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA[26] 123
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[27] 23
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[28] 14
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[29] 54
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[30] 63
French Albums (SNEP)[31] 36
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[32] 19
Greek Albums (IFPI Greece)[33] 6
Italian Albums (FIMI)[34] 40
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[35] 37
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[36] 34
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[37] 28
UK Albums (OCC)[38] 42
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[39] 20

Release history
Region Year Format(s) Label
Europe 3 November 2008 CD, digital download Wall of Sound, PIAS
Argentina 14 April 2009 CD
United Kingdom 2010 LP The Vinyl Factory
United States 6 September 2011 CD, digital download Wall of Sound, PIAS

The Hurricane Tour
The Hurricane Tour
World tour by Grace Jones
Associated albumHurricane
Start dateJanuary 19, 2009
Legs5
No. of shows31

The Hurricane Tour was a concert tour by singer Grace Jones to promote her album Hurricane. The tour sold well and received public and critical acclaim.[40][41][42][43][44]

Setlist

The setlist varied from show to show:

London first show setlist[45]

1. Nightclubbing
2. This Is
3. My Jamaican Guy
4. Sunrise Sunset
5. Demolition Man

Costume Change for Part Two
6. I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)
7. Love You To Life
8. La Vie En Rose
9. Well Well Well
10. Williams' Blood
11. Devil in my Life

Costume Change for Part Three
12. Pull Up to the Bumper
13. Love Is The Drug
14. Slave to the Rhythm

Costume Change for Part Four (encore)

15. Hurricane
Second London show's setlist [46]

1. Nightclubbing
2. Private Life
3. My Jamaican Guy
4. This Is
5. Demolition Man

Costume Change for Part Two
6. I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)
7. Corporate Cannibal
8. Nipple to the Bottle
9. Done It Again
10. Love You To Life
11. La Vie En Rose

Costume Change for Part Three
12. Williams' Blood
13. Love Is The Drug
14. Pull Up to the Bumper
15. Warm Leatherette

Costume Change for Part Four (encore)

16. Slave to the Rhythm

Tour dates
Europe
Date City Country Venue
January 19, 2009 Birmingham UK Symphony Hall
January 21, 2009 Gateshead UK The Sage
January 23, 2009 Glasgow Scotland Clyde Auditorium
January 24, 2009 Manchester UK Manchester Apollo
January 25, 2009 Bristol UK Colston Hall
January 27, 2009 London UK The Roundhouse
January 28, 2009 London UK The Roundhouse
March 17, 2009 Berlin Germany Tempodrom
March 19, 2009 Amsterdam Netherlands Paradiso
March 22, 2009 Paris France Le Grand Rex
March 25, 2009 Frankfurt Germany Jahrhunderthalle
March 26, 2009 Düsseldorf Germany Philipshalle
March 29, 2009 Stockholm Sweden The Circus
March 31, 2009 Copenhagen Denmark Falconer Theatre
Europe (2)
June 19, 2009 Barcelona Spain Sónar
July 3, 2009 Roskilde Denmark Roskilde Festival
July 4, 2009 Werchter Belgium Rock Werchter
July 9, 2009 London UK Somerset House
July 11, 2009 Montreux Switzerland Montreux Jazz Festival
July 16, 2009 Stuttgart Germany Jazz Open Festival
July 18, 2009 Southwold UK Latitude Festival
North America
July 26, 2009 Hollywood United States KCRW's World Festival at the Hollywood Bowl
July 29, 2009 New York United States Hammerstein Ballroom
July 30, 2009 New York United States Hammerstein Ballroom
Europe (3)
August 7, 2009 Monte Carlo Monaco Summer Sporting Festival
August 9, 2009 Playa d'en Bossa Ibiza Space
August 15, 2009 Helsinki Finland Flow Festival
August 21, 2009 St. Poelten Austria FM4 Frequency Festival
August 23, 2009 Biddinghuizen Netherlands Lowlands
August 30, 2009 London UK Beachdown Festival
North America
November 21, 2009 Guadalajara Mexico Sonofilla Festival

References
  1. "Hurricane by Grace Jones".
  2. "Hurricane - Grace Jones". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
  3. Susie Goldring. "Review of Grace Jones - Hurricane". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
  4. Alexis Petridis (2008-10-23). "CD: Grace Jones: Hurricane". London: www.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
  5. Evelyn McDonnell (2011-09-05). "Album review: Grace Jones' 'Hurricane'". latimes.com. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  6. Anthony Thornton. "NME Album Reviews - Grace Jones". www.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
  7. Chris Campion (2008-11-09). "CD: Pop review, Grace Jones, Hurricane". The Observer. London: www.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-04-18.
  8. Joshua Klein. "Pitchfork Album Review: Grace Jones, Hurricane". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
  9. Kris Needs. "Original queen of the divas unleashes full force comeback". recordcollectormag.com. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  10. Eric Henderson. "Grace Jones: Hurricane". www.slantmagazine.com. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
  11. Josh Wimmer. "Grace Jones, 'Hurricane' (Wall of Sound)". www.spin.com. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
  12. Barry Walters. "Grace Jones's Hurricane Pays Self-Tribute to an Icon". www.villagevoice.com. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
  13. Michael Osborn (2008-11-26). "An audience with Grace Jones". BBC News Online. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
  14. "Finally, New Grace Material?". stephenrendell.blogspot.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  15. "La Vache Qui Lit: ThisThisRemixVolunteer". lavachequilit.typepad.com. 2007-05-31. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
  16. Jody Thompson (2008-04-11). "Eighties pop legend Grace Jones to headline Secret Garden Party". www.mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-04-17.
  17. Mike Diver (2008-06-30). "Grace Jones signs to Wall of Sound for Hurricane's release". drownedinsound.com. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
  18. "GRACE JONES album cover at lifecast – lifecasting in london – prosthetics for films". lifecast.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2012-05-01. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  19. "Grace Jones at 60: The ultimate hot chocolate". www.afterellen.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-19. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  20. Colin Paterson (2008-06-20). "Grace Jones performs at Meltdown". BBC News Online. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
  21. Sam Jones (2008-04-21). "Meltdown moves from trip-hop to sci-fi with style". London: www.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
  22. Lars Brandle. "'Hurricane' Jones Blows Through This October". www.billboard.biz. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
  23. Discogs - Hurricane (WOS050CD)
  24. "Hurricane Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
  25. "IMPALA Press Release". Independent Music Companies Association. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  26. "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 13 September 2016". Imgur.com. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
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  28. "Ultratop.be – Grace Jones – Hurricane" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  29. "Ultratop.be – Grace Jones – Hurricane" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
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  32. "Offiziellecharts.de – Grace Jones – Hurricane" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  33. "Top 50 Ξένων Aλμπουμ — Εβδομάδα 10/2009". Archived from the original on 26 March 2009. Retrieved 2012-06-03.. Ifpi.gr. Retrieved 2009-03-26
  34. "Italiancharts.com – Grace Jones – Hurricane". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  35. "Charts.nz – Grace Jones – Hurricane". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  36. "Swedishcharts.com – Grace Jones – Hurricane". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  37. "Swisscharts.com – Grace Jones – Hurricane". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
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  39. "Grace Jones Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  40. Grace Jones brings 'Hurricane' tour to UK, NME, October 16, 2008
  41. Grace Jones at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham, The Times, January 21, 2009
  42. Grace Jones is back, and on her best behaviour: Grace under pressure, The Times, January 23
  43. "Page not found – Cosmic Disco". Archived from the original on 2009-10-14. Cite uses generic title (help)
  44. Grace Jones, The Roundhouse, London, The Independent, January 29, 2009
  45. http://missgracejones.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=31%5B%5D
  46. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-07-20. Retrieved 2016-07-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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