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Martika’s Kitchen Martika album
Columbia Records
albumI was excited to have my very own Prince-penned theme song
Former child actress, Marta Marrero (stage named Martika) burst into the charts in April 1989 with Toy Soldiers, the lead single for her debut LP Martika released by Columbia Records the previous October. The single topped the US Hot 100 for two weeks. Feeling the pressure to meet expectations for her second album, upon watching the Graffiti Bridge movie, Martika decided Prince was the person best to help her, and landed a meeting with him in late 1990.
Having seen success with Sinead O’Connor in 1990 with Nothing Compares 2 U, Prince wrote five songs for Martika’s second LP. When the 21-year-old stepped into Paisley Park for that meeting, her first and only face to face with Prince, Martika, joined by her mother who was also her manager, was presented with a lyric sheet. Thinking she needed a theme song, Prince gave her the lyrics of Martika’s Kitchen having written the song only the day prior to their meeting. In that encounter, she handed him her notebook in which was a poem, which Prince used as a basis to create Love… Thy Will Be Done. Four of Prince’s songs appear in the final configuration of Martika’s second record Martika’s Kitchen. The others are Don’t Say U Love Me (originally intended for Paula Abdul) and Spirit. Prince recorded his contributions at Paisley Park Studios in December 1990, including his vocals to guide Martika when overdubbing later.
Because much of the LP had been finished prior to Prince’s involvement, his fifth track Open Book was declined by Martika’s management, believing four Prince tracks was sufficient for the record. Open Book was instead given to Jevetta Steele of The Steeles in 1993 for inclusion on her debut solo album Here It Is. Prince also considered Go On (Witcha Bad Self) for Martika but passed the song to Carmen Electra instead. Prince’s original versions of Martika’s Kitchen, Don’t Say U Love Me, Open Book and Spirit were released in 2023 with Diamonds And Pearls Super Deluxe.
Prince’s sent Martika a cassette of the first song he finished Love… Thy Will Be Done, this version was released in 2019 on the Warner Records compilation Originals. Prince is credited on Martika’s Kitchen under the name Paisley Park. Martika’s parts were added at Electric Lady Studios in New York in 1991, using other musicians she previously knew to add embellishments to Prince’s music.
Martika’s Kitchen suffered from low airplay in the US, resulting in the LP peaking at only 111 in the Billboard 200 chart – the title track reaching 93 in its singles chart. Meeting far greater success in Europe and Australia, Martika’s Kitchen climbed to number 15 in the UK, where its lead single Love… Thy Will Be Done entered the top 10 at number 9. With comparisons being drawn of her as the new Madonna, the pressure proved too great to bear and Martika quit recording shortly after the release of Martika’s Kitchen in August 1991. Her greatest hits LP The Best Of Martika was released in 1997. Love… Thy Will Be Done was reissued in the unofficial compilation Symbolism: The Prince Songbook in 1998.
Performers
- Vocals
- Martika
- All instruments
- Prince Martika’s Kitchen, Spirit, Love... Thy Will Be Done and Don’t Say U Love Me
- Guitar
- Paul Pesco Martika’s Kitchen and Don’t Say U Love Me
- Keyboards
- C.J. Vanston Martika’s Kitchen and Love... Thy Will Be Done
- Programming
- Fred McFarlane Spirit
- David Frank Don’t Say U Love Me
- Backing Vox
- Marlen Landin Martika’s Kitchen and Spirit
- Rahsaan Patterson Spirit, Love... Thy Will Be Done and Don’t Say U Love Me
- Christopher Max Spirit
- Cindy Mizelle Spirit
- Karen Bernod Spirit
- Steve Real Spirit
- Audrey Wheeler Spirit
Data
- Producers
- Frankie Blue, Les Pierce and Paisley Park
- Label
- Columbia Records
- Distribution
- Columbia Records
- Cover/Design
- Yorgos
- Released
- 35 years ago on 27 August 1991
- Running Time
- 57:18
- US Chart Peak
- 111
- UK Chart Peak
- 15
- Orig. Formats
-
Tracklist
- Martika’s Kitchen (5:08) 1
- Spirit (4:38) 2
- Love... Thy Will Be Done (5:02) 3
- A Magical Place [duet with Christopher Max] (4:41) 4
- Coloured Kisses (4:37)
- Safe In The Arms Of Love (5:09)
- Pride & Prejudice (5:12)
- Take Me To Forever (4:35)
- Temptation (4:46)
- Don’t Say U Love Me (4:24) 3
- Broken Heart (4:33)
- Mi Tierra [feat. Ceila Cruz] (4:37)
Released as a single
1 Written by Prince.
2 Written by Prince, Levi Seacer Jr and Martika.
3 Written by Prince and Martika.
Martika’s Kitchen album review
Make no mistake, the big guns on Martika’s Kitchen are its four Prince tracks. The record’s big hit was Prince’s Love… Thy Will Be Done a ballad that’s still able to deliver knockout blows through the decades. The core of the album is focussed on party music, launched with Prince’s title track. Tempo rises and falls throughout; one minute, things go Kenny G style to tick the sophistication box necessary for American mainstream output of the early 90s; the next, its Gloria Estefan territory with Safe In The Arms Of Love. Prince’s Don’t Say U Love Me is the best of Prince’s rare if unique foray into New Jack Swing (My Name Is Prince and Acknowledge Me his other examples), a genre that became the rage in 1991 thanks to Michael Jackson’s Dangerous. In Spirit, Prince gives a nod to Madonna’s Vogue, a winning formula to guarantee the record’s success. Sadly, the US market was not that taken with the comparison and the record’s 96 position deficit against the debut LP spelled the demise of Martika’s career.
The sands of time have shown that its Billboard ranking was on the wrong side of history. The highlights of the non-Prince tracks, are the meaty ballad Pride & Prejudice and the Mayte-esq Temptation. Martika’s Kitchen is evidently a showcase of Martika’s vocal dexterity: mission accomplished.
Martika’s Kitchen is rated 4 out of 5 by Goldies Parade.
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