Toy Soldiers: Best of Martika

Martika | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 18, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00074CBD8
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #252,316 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2010 collection from the late '80s and early '90s Pop princess. Features 16 tracks including the massive hit 'Toy Soldiers'. Sony. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Underrated vocal chops and songwriting., February 19, 2005

By 

D. Mok (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Toy Soldiers: Best of Martika (Audio CD)

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?

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars a review, December 27, 2008

By 

swimmer "swim on" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toy Soldiers: Best of Martika (Audio CD)

if you want to hear the famous toy soilders then you'd be better off buying her single! They cut her voice down right at the end!!!!! :-(

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Album!, October 7, 2005

By 

Tigress31 "Tigger" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toy Soldiers: the Best of Martika (Audio CD)

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!