''Bulletproof Heart'' is the ninth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by Jamaican singer, songwriter and model

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a model, singer and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for ...

, released on October 13, 1989. 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 characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

'' 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 '' 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 ...

''. 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, or c, is the third letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''cee'' (pronounced ), plural ''cees''. History "C" ...

, 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 hit song by C+C Music Factory. It was released in late 1990 as the debut and lead single from their first album, '' Gonna Make You Sweat'' (1990). The song is sung by singer Martha Wash and rapper ...

" in 1990, and

Jonathan Elias Jonathan Elias (born 1956) is an American composer best known for his film soundtracks. Background Elias was born in New York City in 1956. He is of Jewish-Hungarian background. Elias started playing piano at the age of six, and was composin ...

. 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, describes measures to enforce copyright by preventing the reproduction of software, films, music, and other media. Copy protection is most commonly found on ...

edition of the album was released in 2004 on

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

, 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 "Amado Mio" is a song from the classic 1946 film noir ''Gilda'', written by Doris Fisher and Allan Roberts. The piece was lip-synched by Rita Hayworth and sung by Anita Kert Ellis. Grace Jones's rendition of the song on her 1989 album ''Bull ...

", a song from the 1946 film ''

Gilda ''Gilda'' is a 1946 American film noir directed by Charles Vidor and starring Rita Hayworth in her signature role and Glenn Ford. The film is known for cinematographer Rudolph Maté's lush photography, costume designer Jean Louis's wardrobe fo ...

'', 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 well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

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 music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

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 Jay Berliner (born May 24, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American guitarist who has worked with Harry Belafonte, Ron Carter, Charles Mingus, and Van Morrison, among others. Career Berliner had his first television experience at age seven w ...

– flamenco guitar *

Jocelyn Brown Jocelyn Lorette Brown (born November 25, 1950), sometimes credited as Jocelyn Shaw, is an American R&B and dance singer. Although she has only one ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart entry solely in her name, she has an extensive background in the musi ...

– 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 studi ...

– keyboards *

– 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 8 December 1938 in Montreuil (France)) is a French graphic designer, illustrator, photographer, advertising film director and event designer. He worked as art director at ''Esquire'' magazine in New York City during the 1 ...

– 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, Brandy, the O'Jays, Philip Glass, Jimmy Cliff, Laurie Anderson, the Naked Brothe ...

– backing vocals *

Lenny Pickett Lenny Pickett (born April 10, 1954) is an American saxophonist and musical director of the ''Saturday Night Live'' band. From 1973 to 1981 he was a member of Tower of Power. He is known for his skill in the altissimo register (executed by using ...

– 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 Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curre ...

– 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-songwriter, actress, and producer. Known for her distinctive and powerful voice, Wash first achieved fame as half of the Two Tons O' Fun, who sang backing vocals for the disco si ...

– 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 Dance-pop albums by Jamaican artists Grace Jones albums