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Women in Rock -- Then and Now: Grace Jones / M.I.A.

Grace Jones and M.I.A.Redferns


Grace Jones: 1980s Strikingly Attired Dance Pop Provocateuse
M.I.A.: Current-Day Visually Arresting Dance Rap Rabble-Rouser

How History Repeats Itself: Even if they had nothing else in common, M.I.A. and Grace Jones would be united by a shared aesthetic: visual presentation is as important as sound to each artist's performance persona, and both have embraced a look that manages to balance playful, larger-than-life graphics with angular severity. There's a direct link between those optics and the unapologetically in-your-face attitude common to both women – there's no doubt either one would cut a bitch down. Beyond that, they're captivating, subversive characters, visible outsiders working within the mainstream who've risen to become unlikely cultural heroes. And though it could be argued that a great deal of their musical success is owed to the supremely skilled producers who manage to overlook their diva tendencies, the two deftly established themselves as innovators by infusing dance music tropes with influences from their countries of origin.

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dickn2000b

Indeed, what a crock. The most obvious, and least acceptable, is the Doris Day/Taylor Swift comparison. Ms. Day was not only a singer, but also an accomplished actress. Swift has yet to prove she has a tenth of Doris Day's talents. The most telling fact about the "experts" who dream up these fluff pieces is that they just aren't old enough, and have the knowledge and experience to make these types of judgemental comparisons.

October 02 2010 at 12:10 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
eliza

What a crock. It is obvious to everyone that rihanna is the current incarnation of the slickster. She even says so, Rihanna has the ANGULAR hair, the wild attire, the stature, the bravado. No disrespect to the under talented M.I.A. but she is no heir of Grace.

October 02 2010 at 8:07 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply