Soul Kiss

Soul Kiss is the twelfth studio album by English-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, released on 25 October 1985 by Mercury Records in Europe, by Festival Records in Australia, and by MCA Records in the United States. It reached No. 11 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart and No. 29 on the United States Billboard 200. The album was produced by long-time associate John Farrar, who also co-wrote four tracks; the cover art features photography of Newton-John by Helmut Newton and Herb Ritts.

Singles
The album's title track was released as a single and reached No. 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts, as well as No. 20 on the Australian Kent Music Report singles chart, and a Number One single in Norway. It is Newton-John's most recent US top-40 pop single and her second-to-last in Canada. The single reached No. 100 on the UK Singles Chart. It was also remixed into a 12-inch single mix, which featured a new Carib-influenced percussion overdub.

The follow-up single, "Toughen Up" (written for Tina Turner but rejected by her), failed to chart, except for a top-70 placement in Australia. A remix by Jellybean Benitez was released as a 12-inch single in 1986.

Critical reception
AllMusic editor Joe Viglione retrospectively found that Soul Kiss "seems a bit contrived" and called "the album, as a whole, [...] one of the weaker links in Olivia's remarkable chain."

Commercial performance
At the time of the album's release, Newton-John was pregnant and not available for any in-person promotion of the album or its lead single. Although the album was not as commercially successful as her previous efforts, it peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It charted at No. 5 in Japan; and peaked at No. 11 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart.

Track listing
All tracks produced by John Farrar.

Musicians

 * Olivia Newton-John – lead vocals, backing vocals (1, 4, 5, 9), vocoder (10)
 * Marcus Ryle – synthesizers (1, 3–6, 8–10)
 * Greg Phillinganes – synthesizers (2)
 * Mark Goldenberg – synthesizers (2)
 * Billy Thorpe – synthesizers (4)
 * Steve Kipner – synthesizers (5)
 * Tom Snow – synthesizers (7, 8)
 * John Farrar – guitars (1–3, 6, 7, 9), backing vocals (1, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11), Synclavier (2–4, 6, 7, 9), vocoder (4, 9), mandolin (11)
 * Lee Ritenour – guitars (1, 3, 4, 6–9)
 * Larry Carlton – guitars (2)
 * Steve Lukather – guitars (3)
 * Michael Landau – guitars (10)
 * Abraham Laboriel – bass guitar (1)
 * Nathan East – bass guitar (4)
 * Carlos Vega – drums (1, 3, 4, 6–10)
 * Vinnie Colaiuta – drums (2)
 * Geoffrey Hales – electronic drums (7)
 * Paulinho da Costa – percussion (1, 4)
 * Michael Fisher – percussion (2), typewriter effects (3)
 * Jeremy Lubbock – strings arrangements (4, 11), keyboards (11)
 * Gerard Vinci – concertmaster (4, 11)
 * Tom Scott – lyricon (7), saxophone (8, 10)
 * Gary Herbig – saxophone (10)
 * Joel Peskin – saxophone (10)
 * Larry Williams – saxophone (10)
 * Ara Tokatlián – pan flute (11)
 * Katey Sagal – backing vocals (2)
 * Christopher Cross – backing vocals (8)
 * Carl Wilson – lead and backing vocals (8)

Technical

 * Producer – John Farrar
 * Recorded and mixed by Allen Sides
 * Recording and mix assistant – Tim Wilson
 * Additional recording – Larry Brown and Rik Pekkonen
 * Recorded at Moonee Ponds Studio (Malibu, California) and Ocean Way Recording (Los Angeles, California).
 * Mixed at Moonee Ponds Studio
 * Mastered by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California).

Artwork

 * Art direction and design – Norman Moore
 * Photography – Helmut Newton and Herb Ritts

Video
Soul Kiss is a compilation of music videos from the album Soul Kiss, featuring the singer Olivia Newton-John.

Matt Lattanzi, her husband at the time, appeared in the "Soul Kiss" video.

Contents

 * "Soul Kiss"
 * "Culture Shock"
 * "Emotional Tangle"
 * "Toughen Up"
 * "The Right Moment"