What can be said about Divine that hasn’t already been covered? Mainly remembered for her partnership with director John Waters and that scene in Pink Flamingos (disclaimer: this will put you off your dinner), Divine was a force of nature who revelled in her reputation as the “Filthiest Person Alive”.
Divine’s collaboration with famed producer Bobby “O” Orlando in 1982, Jungle Jezebel, is the perfect aural representation of her personality; the album is essentially Divine in a bottle. The album comprises the original tracklisting plus various bonus tracks and remixes. Kicking off with Shoot Your Shot, which sounds like it was produced by a drunk Giorgio Moroder, the album is a collection of gloriously (and slightly aggressive) camp disco classics such as Shake It Up, the almost romantic T-Shirts and Tight Blue Jeans and the title track itself, with a seriously naughty samba beat.
Alphabet Rap is definitely not something you’d expect to encounter on Sesame Street and Divine Madness is nothing more than a pulsing dance beat with wearing repetitions of the lady herself constantly shouting “Divine!”. Love Reaction is how Blue Monday would have sounded if New Order were on acid. Native Love (Step By Step) is exactly the sort of track the listener would expect from its title and is probably still popular in the filthier clubs.
Jungle Jezebel is a must have for fans of either Divine or Bobby “O”. It’s one of those albums that one would listen to as a guilty pleasure due to its forceful, uncompromising production. Divine’s personality is all encompassing and it’s still hard to believe she’s no longer with us when listening to her work.
8/10
