Great work from Grace Jones - still riding high on a disco wave here, but also finding her own space and sound too! The mighty Tom Moulton produced, ensuring some great sound for the set - and arrangements are by Thor Baldursson and John Davis, both of whom bring in nice sense of fullness, but never smother Grace too much - a key factor, given that her vocal approach is often a bit more restrained than some of the other disco divas of the time. There's less covers here than before, and Grace herself even penned some of the tunes. First time CD reissue contains 12 page booklet with liner notes written by Christian John Wikane
1**O
Don't refuse Muse
There has been enough written about Grace and Tom Moulton on other sites for me to go into too much detail here but I will say that of her three disco albums she did in the late 1970's, this is my favourite. Although "Fame" comes pretty close...Opening with "Sinning", with a solid disco beat, Grace's unique vocals are given the Philly treatment and it was the combination of the amazing John "Monster" Davis and the Philly musicians who made this album great: Grace is a presence, but you wouldn't want an acapella album from her..."Sinning" is part of a medley that comes into "Suffer" with vocals by Thor Baldurrson which, as the liner notes will tell you, weren't originally intended to be part of the finished project. However they work and there are some great flourishes of strings on this track. "Repentance" is the third and has a fantastic intro and is probably my favourite out of this four song suite. Grace's vocals strain to the max, yet against the drama of the music it works. And finally, "Saved", a gospelly kind of number rounds it out and I must confess is a bit of a let down. On the "b side", the slower more cooled funk of "Atlantic City Gambler" opens it up and as on the whole album, the Sweethearts of Sigma provide much needed back up vocals. "I'll Find My Way To You" is either a re-recording or new version of an earlier song by Grace and continues in the laid back approach of the first song, and it is a beauty: glorious strings, and an ethereal feel, combine to make this dreamy. "Don't Mess With The Messer" is also great, the keyboards are a little odd though it has lots of glorious instrumentation to support it. And finally, the killer DC La Rue written "On Your Knees", the most commercial and competitive song on the album, full of frantic vocals, energy and a perfect way to end the album. The liner notes are interesting and the packaging is nice. There are no bonus tracks. Gold Legion have a very bad reputation but their finished product is great; so buy it from somewhere reputable like here.
M**I
Muse FINALLY on CD!!!
A dream finally come through !!! Gold Legion FINALLY released Garce's Muse on CD!!! Fame was available before for high price ( now that one is also available through Gold Legion ) but this is the first time ever that Muse is on cd!!! What a treat it is, sounds excellent , nice sound quality and the music is one of Grace's finest!For a Grace fan this is a must have as all her other cd's! She is such an underrated original , excellent artist! When I met her she was super sweet!!!The song On Your Knees is my favourite from this one , but all the other ones are great!Don't think twice , just get it now!
W**
Grace Jones's 3rd disco album. Great!
Muse is the 3rd album of a disco trilogy., Portfolio, Fame, and Muse. She sounds wonderful and you can hear how she's starting to break away to become the performer we know and love. Highly reccommended!
R**T
Musings on Grace Jones.
FINALLY this album has been released on CD.Muse is a MUST HAVE for any Grace Jones fans.Listening to this album is a trip down memory lane. It shows the evolution of Grace Jones from Portfolio (with her classic La Vie En Rose) into a bonafide performance artist of the first caliber. Muse is classic disco with lyrics that slap you in the face.The slick blend of jamaican beats with dance has become her signature style. Her in-your-face vocal delivery manifests in songs like Sinner, Suffer, Don't Mess with the Messer, and On Your Knees. And while she didn't have any huge hits from this album, it is a testament to Grace Jones ability to transcend her modelling career and become such a long-lasting icon.
K**N
Followed My Muse
Recently purchased Grace Jones Reissued Classic "Muse". Superbly produced by Tom Moulton. Excellent in depth 5-7 page booklet/liner notes..with a few pictures. Great Re-release.
J**E
This happens to be one of my favorite CDs of all time and one of my favorites ...
Grace, grace GRACE!! This happens to be one of my favorite CDs of all time and one of my favorites from Miss Jones! LOVE it and have played it a blue dozen times and with each play it only gets better!!!
C**T
Five Stars
Love it~
J**R
A must have for Grace Jones fans.
Now my Grace Jones LP collection is almost complete. I am not a particular fan of disco, but I have to admit she does disco great.
J**E
Terrific. LOVE this lady's music
Terrific. LOVE this lady's music, ok her voice is not the best, but she has a way about her and her style is terrific and moody. The instrumentals are very good. By Beth Shepherd psychic medium and relationship expert.
D**H
Classic disco
Disco music doesnt get any better. Muse is part of Grace's disco trilogy that includes Fame and Portfolio, all three of which are superb.
M**E
Five Stars
Very good album
L**S
Great Album
One of the best Grace's Albums and the best of her disco trilogy. On Your Knees should've been a disco classic throughout the world.
S**D
Geniales Album, Sternabzug bei Aufmachung und Klang.
Ich habe mich immer gewundert, warum alle Alben von (Amazing) Grace Jones auf CD erschienen, nur nicht das großartige "Muse". Vielen blieb da nur, die mit viel Glück erstandene LP wie ein Schatz zu hüten, zu digitalisieren und dann nie wieder aus der Hülle zu nehmen. Entsprechend war ich aus dem Häuschen als ich das Album endlich auf CD gefunden habe, herausgebracht von Gold Legion, einem Label, dass sich auf (fast) vergessene Alben der Disco-Ära spezialisiert hat.Zur Musik."Muse" war 1979 der letzte Teil von Jones' "Disco-Triologie" und wie ich finde auch der beste, wenn nicht sogar Höhepunkt und gleichzeitige Überwindung der Disco-Ära als solche. Waren "Portfolio" und "Fame" noch so etwas wie musikalische Gehversuche des Models, so erleben wir auf "Muse" das fertige Kunstwerk Grace Jones, das androgyne Wesen, die laszive Interpretation der Songs und die absolute Coolness, die Grace dann besonders in den 80ern auszeichnete. Inmitten der typischen Disco-Sounds (besonders "I'll Find My Way To You", "Dont't Mess With The Messer") finden wir eben diese auch hier."Sinning" eröffnet das Album mit schnellen Beats, bei "Saved" stand anscheinend ein Gospel-Chor im Studio hinter ihr und "Atlantic City Gambler" ist / war vorausschauend der richtige Groove für die Musik der 80er. Am Ende steht "On Your Knees" als ideale Brücke vom Soul zu Disco."Muse" ist in qualitativer und quantitativer Hinsicht für mich mich ein Meisterstück von Tom Moulton.Aufmachung / Design.Sowohl Front- als auch Back-Cover orientieren sich an der LP. Es liegt ein 6-seitiges Booklet mit einem Beitrag von Christian John Wikane bei. In der Mitte des Booklets findet sich das gleiche Bild, das beim Aufklappen der LP erscheint. Das Bild ist in leicht abgewandelter Form auch auf der CD - wohl so eine Art Picture Disc, was in meinen Augen ein wenig nach den CD-Bildern der Raubkopien ausschaut, die man früher auf Flohmärkten kaufen konnte ;-) Der Rest der Aufmachung, Tracklist usw. orientiert sich also an den Alben, die bei Island Records erschienen. Das alles wirkt zwar nicht unbedingt billig, aber man merkt schon, dass es sich hierbei (anscheinend) um ein "inoffizielles" Release handelt. Gibt bei mir einen halben Stern weniger ...Klang.Für mich steht fest: Keine digitale Version eines Disco-Songs kommt an die Qualität, Wärme, und Tiefe einer Disco LP heran. Vorausgesetzt man hat einen gescheiten Plattenspieler ;-)Laut Angaben des Labels wurden die Songs für dei CD noch einmal remastert. Kann man ja auch erwarten. Im Vergleich zur LP verliert der Klang hier jedoch bemerkenswert an Tiefgang. Gerade der Opener "Sinning" klingt etwas dumpf, die Stimme tritt zu sehr zurück. Bei "I'll Find My Way To You" fehlt irgendwie der Beat, bei "Saved" meinte ich ein merkwürdiges Rauschen zu hören. Mag sein, dass man das besser hin bekommt. Da ich das aber nicht weiß, ziehe ich auch wieder einen halben Stern ab.Fazit.Überfälliges Release mit kleinen Makeln bei Aufmachung und Klang. Für Grace- und Disco-Fans ist die Anschaffung dringend zu empfehlen ;-)
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