Toy Soldiers: The Best of Martika

1. Toy Soldiers

2. I Feel the Earth Move

3. More Than You Know

4. Water [Remix]

5. Martika's Kitchen

6. Love...Thy Will Be Done

7. Coloured Kisses

8. Cross My Heart

9. Temptation

10. Don't Say U Love Me

11. Safe in the Arms of Love

12. Quiero Entregarte Mi Amor (More Than You Know)

13. I Feel the Earth Move [Club Mix]

14. Toy Soliders [Japanese Version]

15. Love...Thy Will Be Done [Prince Mix][Mix]

Tracks:

Toy Soldiers
I Feel The Earth Move
More Than You Know
Water (Remix)
Martika's Kitchen
Love...Thy Will Be Done
Coloured Kisses
Cross My Heart
Temptation
Don't Say U Love Me
Safe In The Arms Of Love
Quiero Entregarte Mi Amor (Spanish Version 'More Than You Know')
I Feel The Earth Move (Club Mix)
Toy Soldiers (Japanese Version)
Love...Thy Will Be Done (Prince Mix)

Customer Reviews:

A total surprise. Much more than "Toy Soldiers".......2007-04-24

While I understand that this collection was put together due Sony trying to cash in on the fact that Eminem's sampled of Martika's most famous song, the result is pure 80s bliss. Her rendition of "I Feel The Earth Move" is absolutely perfect and shows how to make a familiar and touchstone song comtemporary without somehow offending the original. The great songs keep coming like "More Than You Know", and while one could argue that most of the songs are not hits, they represent Martika's best and I can listen to this CD over and over without getting bored. Her singing voice is similar to her British contemporary Cathy Dennis, early Madonna and the much underrated Expose. The 80s synth is in full force and some may find it a little dated but in this case it works for me.

I give it 4++ stars because I really enjoyed all the songs, but I would have taken out the Japanese version of "Toy Soldiers" and while I speak Spanish and her rendition of "More Than You Know" in Spanish is good, it really does not add anything new. Another reviewer highlighted that there is more Martika material that is unreleased and that is a shame as she has a very pleasant singing voice. While she's no Aretha Franklin, she really has a great pop voice and hope that she reappears somewhere down the line. Thanks for reading.

What's the point??????.......2005-05-04

It would appear that any fan of Martika probably already has all 2 of her albums, so the record company decides to put most of the songs on one disc and call it a greatest hits??? Well cashing in on the Eminem thing is most likely 100% of it....otherwise they would have tried to appeal to Martika fans by including unreleased tracks (preferably tracks that she was working on for a 3rd album that never surfaced...ie: "Monday" "Song of Regret" "Still Sprung" & "Blue Eyes (Are Sensitive To The Light)".....
BUT, then again that would mean that they might have to pay Martika some $$ for the hits package other than just exercising their repackaging rights. Gimme a break, and keep the CD while you're at it.

Title track disappointment.......2005-03-24

This was a domestic greatest hit package that was long overdue. No doubt that Sony Legacy jumped on the bandwagon since Eminem resurrected the song on his "Like Toy Soldiers," but SHAME on everyone involved, not so much for using it in the CD title, but for audaciously editing the English version of the track by fading at at 4 minutes, 10 seconds and leaving the Japanese version to run in all the song's original glory. Someone should be fired!

Underrated vocal chops and songwriting........2005-02-20

The music press tends to criticize artists for not branching out and not taking risks. Unfortunately, Martika is an example of how an artist is punished by the record-buying public for doing something bold.

Martika's always had considerable talent. Her voice is strong, capable of a maturity that her contemporaries Tiffany and Debbie Gibson can't touch, she had both looks and charisma, and she's credited as a songwriter on most of her material. Most importantly, there was a latent ferocity in Martika's performances which adds a great deal of edge to her music, whether it was synth-dance songs or power ballads.

It's a shame that the careening sales of her sophomore album Martika's Kitchen had sent her into anonymity, because this is '80s pop music that holds up better than most, just for energetic performance. First hit "More than You Know" has the predictable pure-synth arrangement, but listen to Martika's vocal and you'll hear a vibrato and phrasing unusual in teen singers of that era, possibly attributable to her background in acting. Flagship monster hit "Toy Soldiers" still has a great deal of charm thanks to a dynamic arrangement with big peaks and valleys, and Martika's go-for-broke vocal, fine by any standard. I can't remember any teen-pop artist going as far as her feral, almost punk-ish cries near the end of the song -- sure she overreaches her range, but it's exhilarating to hear and adds immensely to the song. And while it's a tired choice for a cover song, "I Feel the Earth Move" suits Martika's vocal style nicely, allowing her to exploit that resonant low end (something Mandy Moore shares) that sets her apart from her colleagues.

The Prince collaborations are notable because Martika shared writing credits with The Purple One, a rarity when Prince writes for other artists. As with almost any Prince collaboration, his influence is glaringly obvious, but Martika's voice works marvellously with the overt funk/R&B direction, sounding grown-up and sexy. "Martika's Kitchen" is catchy and harkens to Prince's playful midtempo numbers, and she convincingly takes on Prince's love-as-religion theme in "Love...Thy Will Be Done", with its gospel arrangements, extremely dark vibe, and highly nuanced lead vocal.

It was a gutsy move (I can imagine her record label squirming about this: "There's no 'Toy Soldiers' on this album!"), and while "Love...Thy Will Be Done" managed to inch onto the singles charts, it signalled the end of Martika's chart run, just as she was starting to get mighty interesting. This is one artist who deserves a second shot at the title. Even Tiffany had a comeback single a couple of years back, and Debbie Gibson's still recording. Why not Martika?

Like Toy Soldiers.......2005-01-29

As opportunistic as it can be, Sony Music has decided to release a collection from Martika, possibly due to Enemiem's sampling of the song Toy Soldiers on his own hit Like Toy Soldiers. This is not so much a greatest hits collection since Martika only had a chance to do two albums, both of which are splendid by the way.

On her self-titled debut in 1988, she gained much fame for several tracks, most notably the soaring #1 ballad Toy Soldiers and a danceable remake of Carole King's I Feel The Earth Move, giving the song a nice fresh sound altogether. Other great songs from the album include Cross My Heart (also done by a group called 8th Wonder) and More Than You Know.

Her sophormore album which saw Prince helping out in 1991 contained several solid tracks including Prince's haunting Love...Thy Will Be Done, the funky title track Martika's Kitchen and Don't Say U Love Me.

Several other album tracks and remixes make up the rest of this album, and perhaps this is the best you can get to a complete Martika collection since there wasn;t much to begin with.

But this forgotten star is definitely also underrated and talented. She collaborates in a new group called Oppera which is getting good reviews. Check that out.

Average customer rating:

Great Album!

Toy Soldiers: The Best of Martika
Martika
Manufacturer: Sony/Columbia
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Teen Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music

Bubblegum | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

General | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0006TL9R8
Release Date: 2005-03-15

Tracks:

Toy Soldiers
I Feel the Earth Move
More Than You Know
Water [Remix]
Martika's Kitchen
Love...Thy Will Be Done
Coloured Kisses
Cross My Heart
Temptation
Don't Say U Love Me
Safe in the Arms of Love
Quiero Entregarte Mi Amor (More Than You Know)
I Feel the Earth Move [Club Mix]
Toy Soliders [Japanese Version]
Love...Thy Will Be Done [Prince Mix]

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Anthology from the Young Cuban American Singer who Rose to Fame in the Late 80's/Early 1990's with her Number One Hit Single "Toy Soldiers". Her Second Album "Martika's Kitchen" was Produced by Prince, with Whom Some Tabloids Had her Romantically Linked at the Time. This Collection Includes a Club Mix of her Cover of Carole King's "i Feel the Earth Move" and the Japanese Version of "Toy Soldiers".

Customer Reviews:

Great Album!.......2005-10-08

I really only knew of Martika from the song "Toy Soldiers." I recently saw her in concert leading the band "Oppera" and became quite intrigued with her musical talent. I purchased this Cd due to that fact, and found that I love every song on it. It's one of those Cd's where the songs ring
over and over again in your head, and you just have to play it and hear them. Amongst the few that really stand out for me are "Water" and "Martika's Kitchen". Those are two really great catchy tunes. I'm definitely a hooked fan of Martika's now!

Average customer rating:

Dance Beat 90's, Volume 2
Tag Team , Technotronic w/ Ya Kid K , Groove Theory , Sunscreem , B.G. The Prince of Rap , Candyman , Lisette Melendez , Tony Terry , Martika , and Jon B. Featuring Babyface
Manufacturer: Sony Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000SVJ4MG

Product Description

Song list: 01. Tag Team - Whoom! (There It Is) 02. Technotronic feat. YA Kid K - Move This 03. Groove Theory - Tell Me 04. Sunscreem - Love U More 05. Martika - Toy Soldiers 06. B.G. The Prince of Rap - This Beat Is Hot 07. Warrant - I Saw Red 08. Jon B. feat. Babyface - Someone To Love 09. Heavy D. & The Boyz - Now That We Found Love 10. Rozalla - Everybody's Free (To Feel Good) 11. Surface - The First Time 12. New Kids On The Block - Step By Step 13. Candyman - Knockin' Boots 14. The Cover Girls - Wishing On A Star 15. Lisette Melendez - Together Forever 16. Tony Terry - With You 17. Bad English - Possession

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