Martika (album)
| Martika | ||||
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| Studio album by Martika | ||||
| Released | October 18, 1988 | |||
| Recorded | April–May 1988 | |||
| Genre | Pop, dance-pop | |||
| Length | 41:59 | |||
| Label |
CBS (Europe) Columbia, Sony Music (US) |
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| Producer | Michael Jay | |||
| Martika chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
European edition
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| Singles from Martika | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
Martika is the self-titled debut studio album by former child actor and teen pop singer Martika, released October 18, 1988 through CBS Records.
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, an homage to Martika's Cuban ancestry. Other songs were re-recorded fully in Spanish for international release.
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. In the UK, the song "Cross My Heart" had already been a top 20 hit for the band Eighth Wonder a year previously, whilst Big Fun pulled their planned single release of "I Feel the Earth Move" shortly before Martika's release.
Four of the tracks from the album were recorded in Spanish by Martika:
"Toy Soldiers" was also recorded by Martika in Japanese, released on an EP in 1989 called "Special Touch".
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Wikipedia