| Martika’s Kitchen is the second album by California pop singer Martika, and was released in August 1991. The album contained four tracks with writing and production input by Prince: Martika’s Kitchen, Spirit, Love... Thy Will Be Done and Don’t Say U Love Me.
Sessions and compiling
Prince became involved after Martika had already recorded most of the album. She had seen the Graffiti Bridge movie several times and had contacted Prince saying the movie spoke to her and reflected things she had written in her own notebook.
Martika’s Kitchen was the first song Prince worked on for her album in late 1990 or early 1991. Martika showed him a notebook full of lyrics she brought with her for their first meeting. Love... Thy Will Be Done was recorded in January 1991 based on lyrics written by Martika. Her record company encouraged her to work further with Prince, and he quickly recorded further tracks Spirit and Don’t Say U Love Me, the latter being recorded in February 1991. In the liner notes for the expanded 2018 re-release of Martika’s Kitchen [Reheated Edition], Martika discussed the album’s recording: "When I got back in L.A., I got a cassette with the basic tracks for five songs. Prince has crafted the songs around some of my lyrics, then he and the production team at äismey Park cut the basic tracks, put some guide vocals down, and sent me the masters. I took things from there, hooking up with various collaborators to complete the picture." Martika replaced Prince’s vocals with her own in Spring 1991, and additional instrumentation and background vocals were recorded by her musicians in New York.
The fifth song recorded by Prince, Open Book was not kept for the album but was later released by Jevetta Steele on the 1993 reissue of her album Here It Is. Open Book was partially based on lyrics written by Martika and included on her song Safe In The Arms Of Love.
Promotion
The album produced five singles, Love... Thy Will Be Done, Martika’s Kitchen, Colored Kisses, Safe In The Arms Of Love and Spirit (promotional release only), and the album was a commercial hit worldwide, although a relative commercial failure in the USA.
It reached only number 111 on the US Billboard Pop Chart, but fared much better in the UK, reaching number 15 on the Gallup Album Chart.
In 2017, the album was remastered and reissued the following year in an expanded edition called Martika's Kitchen: Reheated Edition.
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1991: True Confessions ◄
