This 1986 studio effort from the outrageous Diva, Grace Jones, marked her debut on the Manhatten label and saw her immediately teamed with hot R&B master, Nile Rodgers, one half of the 1970's disco group, Chic, and who had produced classics for the likes of Soul music legend Diana Ross and the Queen of Pop, Madonna. Allegedly Nile Rodgers and Grace Jones did not get on at all well and the recording sessions for Inside Story were a little intense.
Following on from her Reggae/Funk/Rock/New Wave infused albums such as the excellent Warm Leatherette (1980) and the critically-acclaimed Nightclubbing (1981), Inside Story (1986) divulged Jones into a far more commercial sound. Inside Story was a mixed concoction of Pop/Dance/Funk/R&B with subtle hints of jazz on one particularly awful track, Victor Should Have Been A Jazz Muscian.
I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect For You)was the premiere single. Fairly infectious, the track showcased Jones raw (and rather narrow) vocal style than most of her previous singles had where she seemingly scowled through the lyrics as opposed to actually singing. I'm Not Perfect went onto become one of her biggest hits in the States whilst crawling quietly into the lower reaches of the U.K Top 75.
Hollywood Liar continues the already tried and tested formula of I'm Not Perfect. The limitations of her thin vocals do show up on this particular track but somehow it manages to redeem itself and becomes quite infectious after a couple of listens.
The atmospheric and driving Chan Hitchikes To Shanghai is far better. Jones inserts herself effectivley into the sparse production and this scores as one of the more favourable album tracks.
The painfully dated Victor Should Have Been A Jazz Muscian, contains a rather flat vocal performance that simply lacks the spark to ignite this ponderous effort. Curiously this was another track to be swiped from the album and lifted as a single though unsurprisingly sank without trace.
More upbeat was Party Girl, a song that was undoubtedly written especially for and about Grace Jones. Nile Rodgers thoughts and perceptions of Grace Jones are reflected on recordings such as Party Girl which with its breezy, inventive musical arrangements, emerges as another catchy number. Party Girl was also released as a single though it too rapidly slid into the dumper.
The Pop/Light Rock tone of Crush swerves into more commercial terriotry though more bland and forgetable is the unimaginative Barefoof In Beverley Hills.
Jones delivers a nice, breathy and surprisingly seamless performance on the mellow, late night Pop/R&B track, Scary But Fun, another song that was something of a personal reflection. After all Grace Jones image was all about being scary but through her music she got occasional chances to show off her more fun side albeit in the most weird, off-the-wall manner - you have to view her extraordinary A One Man Show (1982) to know what I mean!
White Collar Crime continues the bubbling formula of commercial flavoured Pop/R&B where Jones delivers a rich and compelling performance. Incidentally White Collar Crime sounds vaguely similar to her 1985 Trevor Horn produced classic, Slave To The Rhythm.
The title track, Inside Story, closes the album on a high. With a spiritual and poignant edge, this track does emerge as another of the projects highlights.
Not one of her best albums, nor was it a great commercial success though this remains one of her most commercially visible albums.
Ian Phillips
July 2006
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