Oh dear, and she was going so well too!! From her early country hits to the uber-hits she experienced through her movie-musicals "Grease" and "Xanadu", Olivia was on top for ten years straight. She even managed to survive such disasters as her 1983 film "Two Of A Kind" (this film wasn't just a bomb, it was ATOMIC) and turn them into positive experiences, the soundtrack of which gave her a #3 hit. However, it seems very little could salvage the commerical car-crash that was "Soul Kiss". Certainly Olivia remains a prominent public figure and has released semi-successful records since, but this musical venture "Soul Kiss"ed her career goodbye.

My question is, why. The main reason that springs to mind is that Olivia simply went too far for the conservative record-buying public. We giggled as she lived out her highschool bad girl fantasy in spandex for the 1978 film "Grease", and we had nervous titterings as she sung about "getting physical" in 1981. However, when faced with the image of Olivia straddling a leather couch on the front cover, and topless on the back, well it's rather like seeing a nun out of her habit, isn't it - is it right for us to look?

"Soul Kiss" was Olivia's equivalent of Madonna's "Erotica" phase. Except of course, no "Sex" book. In fact, no directly smutty photography. In FACT, there's very little "sex" here except for some very coy references. So if Madonna could get away with what she did, why couldn't Olivia?

Simple. Olivia's "Soul Kiss" project was too far ahead of its time. Seven years before Madonna wanted you to "put your hands all over [her] body", Olivia was singing about how she wanted to "get down on [her] knees and thank you baby". And that's about as "sexy" as Livvy gets. A far cry from the in-your-face sexuality of Madonna's "Erotica" period, even this subtle and at times very witty portrayal of sexuality was too much for the world back in 1985.

It's a crying shame, really, because the album is bloody good. Producer John Farrar effectively replicated the highly successful "Physical" record, with a few extra bloops and bleeps from synthesisers of the time. It has to be said, his production is as strong as ever on this record - perhaps even more so. The title track remains one of the album's most standout tracks, a slow infectious R'n'B groove as Olivia's silky vocals slip and slide around the seductive melody, as does the fun opening track "Toughen Up" which reinvents Olivia as a reggae-rocker a la Tina Turner's early eighties efforts. "Culture Shock" is probably the most "controversial" track on the record, playfully describing a love-triangle with Olivia telling her partner she loves him but she doesn't want to give up her lover. Perhaps it was this brave statement of pro-feminism that the patriarchal world of 1985 really didn't want to hear...

On the sillier (or is it camper?) side of things, Olivia portrays a taxi-driver in the pulsating "Driving Music", the innocent victim of a doctor's impure thoughts on the narrative "Overnight Observation", and a journalist wanting that million-dollar headline on "Queen Of The Publication". With such scenarios, delivered in sparkling synthesised atmospheres, it's no wonder this is the Olivia album most embraced by pink crowd. Even Kylie Minogue couldn't get away with such blatant manipulation of the gay audience... and yet "Soul Kiss" shows that Olivia could. And DID.

The album's real gems come in the form of "Moth To A Flame", a thumping eighties rocker which contain some of the most incredible vocals that Ms Newton-John ever captured on record. In fact, this entire album is a show-case for Olivia's range, from low growls to the "banshee" wails which sadly disappeared from her repertoire after this release. "You Were Great, How Was I?" with Carl Wilson is homage to the fifties doo-wop sound reinterpreted in an eighties context which works wonderfully, but it is the two ballads on this album which really allow Olivia to excel. Renowned for her breathy vocals, "Emotional Tangle" is a superb John Farrar track with Olivia's trademark backing vocals mingling with her lead. The album's closer, "The Right Moment" is an spine-tingler with Olivia adlibbing some high-pitched notes for a minute or so at the song's conclusion, so high they easily rival modern-diva Mariah Carey's ability.

So after a moderately successful first single (the title track), "Soul Kiss" disappeared into oblivion ... and the homes of fervent gay Olivia fans worldwide. It is here that this record is worshipped for what it is ... a woman so often stereotyped by popular media breaking out of the mould, experimenting, and pulling it off beautifully. It's just a shame that so many people will never get to experience this guilty pleasure.

Out of Olivia's 3 career phases (heartbroken country girl, wholesome teen icon, and sexy, mature woman), I prefer the last one. This album is a product of that period, and it is superb. I know that many found it to be too eclectic, or too sex-propelled, or too much of an attempt to compete with her contemporaries, but I never tire of listening to it, because Olivia's talent makes even the oddest songs work. Highlights for me are "Toughen Up" (great upbeat opener), "Soul Kiss" (just imagine Olivia getting down on her knees, that's all I'm saying), "Overnight Observation" (clever lyrics, humorously sexy delivery) and "The Right Moment" (motivational message beautifully executed). I guess Olivia's time had passed by 1985, so the album wasn't a great success, but to me, ignoring it was criminal neglect.

As a die-hard Olivia fan ( she is still #1 to me ) when the single stalled at #20 on the US chart I was shocked. Personally, Soul Kiss is probably my favourite Livvy single and the 12 inch maxi-single remix is incredible. This song IS sexy and the video is even more erotic. Unfortunately, the rest of the album somehow did not seem as good. Emotional Tangle is great and classic Olivia, as well as Moth To A Flame, but cuts like Queen Of The Publication and Culture Shock take the album in such a different direction of sound, that I sometimes wondered what Olivia and John Farrar ( her long-time producer), were trying to achieve. The album did not do well commercially, and somehow seemed to foreshadow her struggle on the charts with all her following releases. I still believe Olivia is the best and hope the VH-1 Divas show recruits Olivia for the next show!

So much noise was made about the cover of this album, about the lyrical content, about the raunchy image that she was trying to project, that very little has ever been said about the music. Which is a shame, really, because "Soul Kiss" is Olivia's best album, bottom line.

It is an elegant, nervous and sleek collection of pop songs, and it's a little more upbeat that many of her other albums. It is a perfect time capsule of what the mid-80's had to offer, for better or worse. Songs like "Moth to a flame", "Overnight observation" and "Culture shock" were graced by funky arrangements that made them arresting and unique, while the title track and "Toughen Up" were fine contemporary R&B pop songs. The ballads were fantastic too, with "The Right Moment" closing the album on a highly emotional note. And it has to be said that Olivia's vocals were at their most versatile on this album, going from pop and rock to retro-styled ballads and funk.

Yes, of course, the album talks about such touchy topics as love triangles and oral sex. What is seldom said is that it also talks about personal empowerment ("Toughen up"), commitment ("Emotional tangle") and making choices in life ("The right moment"). It also has a couple of interesting narratives ("Queen of the publication", "Overnight observation", "Driving music"). So never mind the prudes and give this fine album the chance it deserves.

I'm dating myself here, but so what? I still remember waking up on Homecoming morning (high school) in fall of 1985 and hearing the D.J. announce that Olivia had released a new single and album. I was thrilled -- apparently, I was the only one who was, judging by the album's unfortunate reception by the critics (grrr!) and public. As I heard "Soul Kiss" for the first time, I had to rush out to buy this album.
Is it good music? Well, yeah, some of it really is. Sure, there's some good 80s cheese here, but there are also some neglected gems. Some standouts? Listen to Olivia's range on the opener, the calypso-laden "Toughen Up" and the rocker "Moth to a Flame." Should she have attempted the unwieldy, awkward "Culture Shock" with its lurid subject matter? Probably not, but hey, she WAS trying something new. Give the lady a break. And, after all, her forte has always been picking beautiful, often heartbreaking ballads -- they just seem to fit the vulnerability of her voice so well. I think of "Suddenly," "Hopelessly Devoted to You," "Come on Over," "Take A Chance," and plenty of others. Would these lovely ballads be the same flowing from any other voice? Listen to the album's closer, "The Right Moment," and if you don't tear up, get to a cardiologist immediately, because you're near death! Also, the sweet "Emotional Tangle" is a mature, beautiful look at the complications that often ensue from a relationship -- a lovely song.
Yes, I must admit that quite a bit of my attraction to this album is nostalgic in nature -- it came out during the peak of my fascination with her music. Nevertheless, I still LOVE some of these songs. This album should have been a great comeback, but it's still a reminder of how great a vocalist she was -- AND IS! She doesn't get nearly enough credit for being a forerunner of today's women rockers. Somehow credit always goes to Pat Benatar and others, yet ONJ is mysteriously often absent from such tributes. She is a legendary artist -- and this album, despite its detractors, is further testament to her talent.