Soul Kiss [Remastered 2023] [Picture Disc LP] in Bloomington, MN

"Physical"
and
"Make a Move on Me"
were brilliant singles from 1981's
Physical
album, and they achieved their status as timeless
pop
classics without the help of a
Xanadu
soundtrack.
"Overnight Observation"
from
Soul Kiss
doesn't come close to the magic of those radio gems. It, like the front and back cover photos, seems a bit contrived, as does much of this album.
"You Were Great, How Was I?"
is a duet with
Carl Wilson
, and features he and
Christopher Cross
providing authentic
Beach Boys
harmonies. Despite the saxes of
Tom Scott
, the synths of
Newton-John
songwriter
Tom Snow
, and superb support from
Lee Ritenour
and the late
Carlos Vega
, the song feels like an outtake from
John Travolta
Grease V
.
"Toughen Up"
opens the album with power, but without the authority of
or the charm of her early
country pop
albums. The
country
market is completely abandoned here, and though
gets more bearable after repeated spins, it is far removed from the gal who sang
Dolly Parton's
"Jolene"
the Bee Gees'
"Come on Over"
almost a decade earlier.
Olivia
looks like
Missing Persons
singer
Dale Bozzio
on the cover, and sounds a bit like her on
"Toughen Up."
"Soul Kiss."
the title track, is actually a good, dark, moody song written by
Mark Goldenberg
, who also plays synthesizer on it. Producer
John Farrar
is on Synclavier and guitar, with
providing her own eerie backing vocals. The tune nicked the Top 20, and though that is three spaces higher than what
achieved in 1976, the earlier tune topped the A/C charts as well.
seems to have abandoned her strongholds,
adult contemporary
, her superstar status not worthy of this temporary image, a transition which needed stronger material for this big a change. An excellent song like
"Soul Kiss"
could very well be
Olivia Newton-John's
cult hit because of the confusion of this project, a bit
goth
mixed with
techno
, it flies out of the park. The rest of the album misses the enduring texture of her hits from the
Totally Hot
album,
"A Little More Love"
"Deeper Than the Night,"
moods that could have continued to work here. Still,
Olivia Newton-John
reigned as queen of the
charts for a 14-year stretch, from
"If Not for You"
in July of 1971 to
in October of 1985. Many people went from their teens to their thirties with her music in their lives. If the song
didn't get the penetration on the airwaves, music like
"Emotional Tangle"
and select other cuts on this album would make for wonderful additions to the inevitable
boxed set, even if the album, as a whole, is one of the weaker links in
's remarkable chain. ~ Joe Viglione