Hurricane

About

Considering its creator had been away from the music industry for two decades and had just turned 60 at the time of its release, it’s not an overstatement to call <i>Hurricane</i> a tour de force. It was a brilliant move on Jones’ part to reunite with The Compass Point All Stars, the Jamaican studio band behind her early-'80s hits. They bring a foundation of dub and reggae to the proceedings, letting Jones push her music into weird territory without losing its anchor. If anything, “This Is” is more intense than anything from Jones’ early years—it seems to bear down on the listener the way a leopard runs down a gazelle. As a vocalist, she's only improved with time. “I’m Crying (Mother’s Tears)” and the instant classic “Williams Blood” are just two of the songs that show a suppler, more nuanced singing style. And though Jones retains the right to intimidate and unnerve—especially on spoken-word tracks like “Corporate Cannibal” and “Devil in My Life”—<i>Hurricane</i> is sonically rich and warm in a way that her fiercely icy '80s recordings never were.

via Apple Music