Cast your mind back a year to the release of Warm Leatherette, one of 1980's most misunderstood albums. The critics who scoffed, were looking at the intriguingly ridiculous cover rather than listening to the hot and heavy dance music on the record.

Songs like 'Private Life', 'The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game' and 'Bullshit' were handled brilliantly by those rhythm supremos Sly and Robbie, expertly assisted by JA chums Mikey and Sticky and friends of unspecified origin Barry and Wally. The album seemed to be built around Grace, much as she might be dressed and posed for a funky fashion spread. Ignore the fact that she ca barely sing, the concept is important, man.

A fairly successful one, too. I played the record at gatherings over the summer where participation would be decidedly limited – by the time Christmas arrived people were asking for their favourite tracks.

"Use Me!" shouts Grace on the track of the same name here, but this time around Ms. Jones seems an abler and more willing participant in Mr. Blackwell's world-dance-domination game-plan. Even if you're familiar with Warm Leatherette there are tracks on Nightclubbing that will knock you back on your heels… after which you'll be reaching for those dancing shoes.

In particular 'Pull Up To The Bumper', which is guaranteed to test the limits of any sprung dancefloor – funk of unparalleled ferocity, a tidal wave of syncopation with Grace astride it on her (eclectic?) surfboard. Or 'I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)' which can be the European No. 1 to the Anglo-American success of 'Bumper' – the boys in the band would seem to be equally at home in a Parisian boulevard cafe as they are in downtown Kingston, Harlem, Brixton or Philadelphia. And 'Feel Up'? Let's not leave Lagos or Mombasa out of this, m'friends.

The Sting number 'Demolition Man' passes the test but is no personal favourite – acceptable but by no means scintillating.

The exit is on a suitably subdued note (having danced through the rest of the album, you presumably need a breather before you put it back on), and on the Marianne Faithful/Barry Reynolds song 'I've Done It Again', Grace and band contrive to sound like Joni Mitchell and friends circa Hissing Of Summer Lawns. Eerie, uncanny, and both singer and song sound strangely beautiful.

But as she says on 'Walking In The Rain', "Come in all you jesters/Enter all you fools/…Trip the light fantastic/Dance with swivel hips/Coming to conclusions/Button up your lips!"

"Going out, darling?" Yeah, Nightclubbing.