Martika (album)

Martika is the debut studio album by former child actor and teen pop singer Martika, released October 18, 1988 through CBS Records.

Martika
Studio album by
Martika
ReleasedOctober 18, 1988 (1988-10-18)
RecordedApril–May 1988
StudioTrax Recording Studios (Hollywood, California)
Genre
Length41:59
LanguageEnglish, Spanish
LabelCBS (Europe)
Columbia, Sony Music (US)
ProducerMichael Jay
Martika chronology
Martika
(1988)		 Martika's Kitchen
(1991)
Alternative cover
European edition
Singles from Martika
  1. "More Than You Know"
    Released: November 1988
  2. "Toy Soldiers"
    Released: January 21, 1989
  3. "I Feel the Earth Move"
    Released: July 1989
  4. "Water"
    Released: 1990
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Background

The album marked the solo debut for Martika, and spawned the American #1 single "Toy Soldiers". The song is about drug addiction, but can sound like a break-up ballad. The song was later sampled by rapper Eminem for his 2004 song "Like Toy Soldiers" featuring Martika as the chorus singer. Songs that charted internationally included "More Than You Know", "Water", and "I Feel the Earth Move", a Carole King cover that cracked the American Top 25. Stylistically the music was strictly pop, despite exploring some adult topics lyrically. The song "Water" is partially sung in Spanish, a homage to Martika's Cuban ancestry. Other songs were re-recorded fully in Spanish for international release.

Although this was the album Martika attempted to break away from her Kids Incorporated image, she did have four of her former Kids Incorporated castmates sing the "children's chorus" of Toy Soldiers.

The album was successful in the United States; it managed to peak at #15 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the RIAA, making it her best-selling album to date. The album peaked at #11 in the United Kingdom, containing three top 20 singles there.[2] In the UK, the song "Cross My Heart" had already been a top 20 hit for the band Eighth Wonder a year previously,[3] whilst Big Fun pulled their planned single release of "I Feel the Earth Move" shortly before Martika's release.[4]

Track listing
Side one
  1. "If You're Tarzan, I'm Jane" (Michael Jay, Greg Smith) – 4:20
  2. "Cross My Heart" (Jay) – 3:52
  3. "More Than You Know" (Martika, Jay, Marvin Morrow) – 4:10
  4. "Toy Soldiers" (Martika, Jay) – 4:51
  5. "You Got Me Into This" (Jay) – 4:11
Side two
  1. "I Feel the Earth Move" (Carole King) – 4:12
  2. "Water" (Martika, Sue Sheridan, Larry Treadwell) – 4:39
  3. "It's Not What You're Doing" (Roberts Etoll, Jay) – 4:13
  4. "See If I Care" (Martika, Jay, Morrow) – 3:41
  5. "Alibis" (Martika, Mitchell Kaplan) – 3:50

Alternative versions

Four of the tracks from the album were recorded in Spanish by Martika:

  1. "Como Un Juguete" ("Toy Soldiers") – 4:48
  2. "Siento Temblar La Tierra" ("I Feel the Earth Move")
  3. "Quiero Entregarte Mi Amor" ("More Than You Know") – 4:13
  4. "Agua" ("Water")

"Toy Soldiers" was also recorded by Martika in Japanese, released on an EP in 1989 called "Special Touch".

Personnel
  • Martika – lead vocals, backing vocals (2, 5, 8, 9, 10), shaker (10), arrangements (10), vocal arrangements
  • Greg Smith – keyboards (1, 4, 6), arrangements (1)
  • Claude Gaudette – additional keyboards (1, 6), keyboards (2, 7), drum programming (2, 5, 7), arrangements (2, 5, 7)
  • Brad Cole – additional keyboards (2), keyboards (3, 8), synth horns (5), arrangements (8)
  • Marvin Morrow – keyboards (3, 9), drum programming (3), arrangements (9)
  • Mitchell Kaplan – keyboards (10)
  • Mark Leggett – guitars (1-5, 7, 8, 9)
  • Don Kirkpatrick – guitars (6)
  • David Macias – guitars (10)
  • Marc Jones – bass (10)
  • Michael Jay – drum programming (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9), backing vocals (1), vocal arrangements (1-9), arrangements (1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10)
  • Christopher Ainsworth – drum programming (7)
  • Omar Martinez – drums (10)
  • Paulinho da Costa – percussion (5, 7, 9)
  • Michael Mattioli – saxophone (10)
  • Michael Cruz – backing vocals (1)
  • Davey Faragher – backing vocals (1)
  • Clif Magness – backing vocals (1)
  • Rick Jude Palombi – backing vocals (1, 3, 6, 7)
  • Donna De Lory – backing vocals (3, 6)
  • Niki Haris – backing vocals (3)
  • Stacy Ferguson – backing vocals (4)
  • Marlen Landin – backing vocals (4)
  • Kimberly McCullough – backing vocals (4)
  • Rahsaan Patterson – backing vocals (4, 7, 10)
  • Devyn Puett – backing vocals (4)
  • Renee Sands – backing vocals (4)
  • Alitzah Wiener – backing vocals (4)
  • Mona Lisa Young – backing vocals (6)
  • Laura Creamer – backing vocals (7)
  • Mendy Lee – backing vocals (7)
  • Sue Sheridan – backing vocals (7)

Production
  • Michael Jay – producer
  • Michael McDonald – engineer, mixing (1-4, 6, 9, 10)
  • Peter Arata – assistant engineer
  • Ric Butz – assistant engineer
  • John Hegedes – assistant engineer
  • Greg Loskorn – assistant engineer
  • Karen Siegel – assistant engineer
  • Russ Iadevaia – lead vocal recording (2)
  • Keith "KC" Cohen – mixing (5, 8)
  • Brian Malouf – mixing (7)
  • Garden Rake Studios (Sherman Oaks, California) – mixing location
  • Larrabee Sound Studios (North Hollywood, California) – mixing location
  • Stephen Marcussen – mastering at Precision Lacquer (Hollywood, California)
  • Nancy Donald – art direction
  • Tony Lane – art direction
  • Arnold Levine – art direction
  • David Coleman – design
  • Alberto Tolot – photography

Chart performance

Weekly charts
Chart (1988) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[5] 2
Austrian Albums Chart[6] 18
Canadian Albums Chart[7] 17
New Zealand Albums Chart[8] 11
Norwegian Albums Chart[9] 17
Swedish Albums Chart[10] 26
Swiss Albums Chart[11] 11
UK Albums Chart[12] 11
US Billboard 200[13] 15

Year-end charts
Chart (1989) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] 89

Sales and certifications
Certifications for Martika
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[15] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[16] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[17] Gold 7,500^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[18] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[19] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[20] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. AllMusic review
  2. "MARTIKA | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". OfficialCharts.com.
  3. "EIGHTH WONDER | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". OfficialCharts.com.
  4. "Big Fun - Biography". Freenet-homepage.de. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
  5. Steffen Hung. "Australian charts portal". australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2008-05-27. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
  6. Steffen Hung. "Austria Top 40 - Hitparade Österreich". austriancharts.at. Archived from the original on 2008-12-01. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
  7. "Home". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  8. Steffen Hung (2011-10-31). "New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
  9. Steffen Hung (2006-06-15). "Norwegian charts portal". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
  10. Steffen Hung (2011-10-28). "Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
  11. Steffen Hung. "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade und Music Community". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
  12. "MARTIKA | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". OfficialCharts.com.
  13. "AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
  14. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Albums Chart – 1989 (61–100) (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 1)". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  15. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1991 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  16. "Canadian album certifications – Martika – Martika". Music Canada. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  17. "New Zealand album certifications – Martika – Martika". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  18. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 927. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  19. "British album certifications – Martika – Martika". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  20. "American album certifications – Martika – Martika". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
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