Grace Jones Album Hurricane Gets North American Release Date

The disco singer who successfully transitioned into the New Wave sound in the 1980s, Grace Jones has not released an album in 20 years, but a disc of new material is expected to hit North American stores in the fall. Titled Hurricane, the new album will be released on September 6 as a two-disc edition: the original tracks and a second disc of dub versions.

Hurricane, however, was released in Europe in early 2009, and Jones even toured North America in support of the release. Considered a comeback, at least on a musical level, Hurricane is produced by Jones and Ivor Guest and features such guest artists as Brian Edo, Sly & Robbie, and Tricky.

Prior to Hurricane’s European release, Jones did shows at festivals Garden Party and Lokerse Feesten and was part of Massive Attack’s Meltdown concert series. But, during this period of 20 years, what has the former disco queen been up to? In a 2008 interview with the Shropshire Star, Jones summarizes the last two decades: “I was doing other things, writing films, directing, you know I did the underground kind of private shows and tours and a bit of music for a couple of films and worked on music in these areas where it was pleasant and not within the corporate world – you know big brother record company watching over your back and maybe changing what it is you want to do.

“And so I actually didn’t miss it because I still was dibbling and dabbling in it enough to feed my desire. And I knew that the time if it were to come that the time would come where it would be easier for me and much more fun and much more experimental and much more artistic, because artistically I believe I matured in this period. Matured enough to know what it is that I would like to do musically and can I actually afford and pay for it myself?”

With the recent interest in pop music for ‘80s-inspired sounds, heard most notably in acts like La Roux and Lady Gaga, where would Jones fit? Jones, in a 2008 interview with The Guardian, doesn’t seem to think that the sounds of the ‘80s truly disappeared: “That Eighties revival, it doesn't exist, actually. There is some Eighties music that is just timeless. The melodies, the lyrics... I called it church. Church in club. You can shout and dance. The best of the Eighties was club church.”

If you haven’t heard Hurricane already, watch Jones perform the title track of her recent album: