''Bulletproof Heart'' is the ninth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by Jamaican singer and songwriter

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her Model (person), modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves St ...

, released on October 31, 1989 by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

. The album, co-produced by Chris Stanley, would be Jones' last studio album for 19 years, until the release of ''

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

'' in 2008.

Background, production and release

The album came after Jones' short break from recording music, during which she would again focus on acting, appearing in the

all-star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

'' Straight to Hell'' and Mary Lambert's ''

Siesta A siesta (from Spanish, pronounced and meaning "nap") is a short nap taken in the early afternoon, often after the midday meal. Such a period of sleep is a common tradition in some countries, particularly those in warm-weather zones. The "si ...

''. On ''Bulletproof Heart'' Jones would work with producer Chris Stanley, who at that time had become her first husband. Stanley co-produced the album with her, co-wrote the majority of songs and delivered guest vocals on "Don't Cry Freedom". Three tracks were produced/co-produced by

Robert Clivillés Robert Manuel Clivillés (; born July 30, 1964
from

David Cole of

C+C Music Factory C+C Music Factory was an American musical group formed in 1989 by David Cole and Robert Clivillés. The group is best known for their five hit singles: " Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)", " Here We Go (Let's Rock & Roll)", " Things ...

, who would achieve a global success with the dance track "

Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" is a song by American dance music group C+C Music Factory, released by Columbia Records on November 18, 1990, as the lead single from their debut album, '' Gonna Make You Sweat'' (1990). The song is su ...

" in 1990, and Jonathan Elias. Musically, ''Bulletproof Heart'' continued the commercial pop sound of the previous record, '' Inside Story'', showcasing material heavily influenced by synthesizers, drums and electronic percussion. The CD version of the album included two additional songs, which were absent on the vinyl pressing. Although Jones has always stayed musically active, ''Bulletproof Heart'' would be her last studio album for almost two decades. None of her 1990s comeback attempts materialised and her next album, ''

'', was eventually released in 2008. A remastered,

copy protected Copy protection, also known as content protection, copy prevention and copy restriction, is any measure to enforce copyright by preventing the reproduction of software, films, music, and other media. Copy protection is most commonly found on vid ...

edition of the album was released in 2004 on

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a British multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company EMI in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succes ...

, and came with two more bonus tracks.

Singles

Only two singles were released from ''Bulletproof Heart''. " Love on Top of Love" was chosen as the lead single and received numerous remixes. It met with limited success and only reached modest positions in Italy and the Netherlands. However, the 12" remix of the song, subtitled "Killer Kiss", was a significant club hit in the US. Jones' cover of " Amado Mio", a song from the 1946 film '' Gilda'', was released as the final single in 1990. It also made little impact, still reaching the top 40 in Italy, but placing at the bottom of the German and UK charts.

Reception

''Bulletproof Heart'' met with unflattering reception in both critical and commercial performance. In his review music critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

wrote that the songs "proclaim her vulnerability and/or softness of orifice" and according to him the result is "incongruous".

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

gave the album two out of five stars. The commercial performance of the album was also poor: it peaked at number 55 in Germany, and number 108 in Australia, but failed to enter charts elsewhere, thus becoming the lowest-charting of all her studio albums and one of her least successful offerings.

Track listing

Notes * The remastered 2004 CD reissue of ''Bulletproof Heart'' has the same track order as the original 1989 LP release of the album, with "Dream" and "Don't Cry Freedom" appearing as tracks 11 and 12 respectively. * Freedom is not credited as a feature on the album's tracklist.

Personnel

*Josh Abbey – sound mixing *Alan – horns, keyboards, percussion *Jerry Bennett – drum programming * Jay Berliner – flamenco guitar *

Jocelyn Brown Jocelyn Lorette Brown (born November 25, 1950), sometimes credited as Jocelyn Shaw, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and dance music, dance singer. She has a Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart entry solely in her name. Brown sang ...

– backing vocals *Danny Browny – guitar *Francesco Centeno – bass *

Robert Clivillés Robert Manuel Clivillés (; born July 30, 1964
from

David Cole – production, arrangements, keyboards, synthesizers, sound mixing, sound editing *Dominic Cortese – accordion *Ricky Crespo – sound editing *Craig Derry – backing vocals *

Tyrone Downie Tyrone Downie (20 May 1956 – 5 November 2022) was a Jamaican keyboardist and pianist best known for his involvement as a member of Bob Marley and the Wailers.Foster, Chuck (1999) ''Roots Rock Reggae'', Billboard Books, , p. 66, 116 He studie ...

– keyboards * Jonathan Elias – production, arrangements, drum programming, keyboards, synthesizer programming *Jeffrey Fey – design *Chris Floberg – sound mixing *Ray Foote – FX guitar *Sherman Foote – drum programming, synthesizer programming, sound engineering, sound mixing *Chris Fosdick – vocal effects *Freedom – rap *David Gennaro – vocals engineering *Greg Gorman – inside photography *Gordon Gottlieb – percussion *

Jean-Paul Goude Jean-Paul Goude (born in Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis 8 December 1938) is a French graphic designer, illustrator, photographer, advertising film director and event designer. He worked as art director at ''Esquire (magazine), Esquire'' magazine i ...

– cover art *Diva Gray – backing vocals *Steve "Griff" Griffin – recording engineering *Lani Groves – backing vocals *Clive Hunt – bass, horns, keyboards *Chip Jenkins – synth programming *

– production, arrangements, vocals *Curtis King Jr. – backing vocals * Alex Lasarenko – keyboards, piano, synth bass, arrangement *Jim "Bonzai" Lyon – mix engineering *Willie Menendez – narration *Jim Nicholson – synth programming, sound engineering *Clifford Pemsler – synth programming, sound engineering *

Janice Pendarvis Janice Gadsden Pendarvis is an American singer, songwriter, and voiceover artist. She has worked with artists such as Sting, David Bowie, Steely Dan, Peter Tosh, the O'Jays, Philip Glass, Jimmy Cliff, Laurie Anderson, the Naked Brothers Band, and ...

– backing vocals * Lenny Pickett – saxophone *Carl Pitterson – drum programming, keyboards, percussion, sound engineering, sound mixing *Tom Regis – drum programming *José Rodriguez – mastering *Paul Seymour – vocals engineering *Ira Siegel – groove guitar *Frank Simms – backing vocals *Chris Stanley – production, keyboards, bass, guest vocal *Vanessee Thomas – backing vocals *Dave Tofani – tenor saxophone *George Victory – guitar, bass guitar, rhythm guitar, keyboards *

Martha Wash Martha Elaine Wash (born December 28, 1953) is an American singer and songwriter. Known for her distinctive and powerful voice, Wash first achieved fame as half of the The Weather Girls, Two Tons O' Fun, along with Izora Armstead, as they sang b ...

– backing vocals *Kenny Williams – backing vocals

Charts

Release history

References

External links

''Bulletproof Heart''
on

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''Bulletproof Heart''
on

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{{Authority control 1989 albums Albums produced by David Cole (record producer) Dance-pop albums by Jamaican artists Grace Jones albums