The Martyr Mantras
The Martyr Mantras is the only studio album by Jesus Loves You and the fourth studio album by Boy George. It was credited to Jesus Loves You worldwide except in North America, where it was credited to Boy George upon its release there in 1991.
| The Martyr Mantras | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 3 September 1990 | |||
| Recorded | 1988−90 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | More Protein/Virgin | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Jesus Loves You chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Martyr Mantras | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | link |
| Calgary Herald | B[1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (favorable)[2] |
| Melody Maker | (mixed)[3] |
| Music & Media | (favorable)[4] |
| NME | 6/10[5] |
| Record Mirror | 7/10[6] |
Composition edit
The Martyr Mantras contains many dance-orientated tracks, most of them with an electronic production. It is partly a collection of some of the songs that were released as one-off singles many months before ("No Clause 28" in 1988, "After the Love" in 1989, "Generations of Love" and "One On One" in 1990). The lead single was the Indian and house mash-up "Bow Down Mister" which reached the Top 30 in the UK Singles Chart.
George's songwriting credits are also on another alias, as "Angela Dust".[citation needed]
Critical reception edit
In a contemporaneous review in Keyboard, Jim Aikin described the album as "blue-eyed soul for the '90s". He added that "[George] updates his British R&B roots very effectively with hip-hop beats and techno tricks". Aikin also noted that, whatever the mood of any particular track, "you feel that George is sincere".[7] Dave Obee from Calgary Herald remarked that the former head of the Culture Club "has turned to house music, with all the computerized repetition a listener can stand. But that wonderfully pure voice rises above the rigid format, giving real life to each song." He highlighted George's "husky singing" on "Love's Gonna Let U Down", and his "stirring work" on "I Specialize in Loneliness".[1] Andrew Smith from Melody Maker wrote, "With the first two singles, the gorgeously melancholic "Generations of Love" and "One on One", George seemed to be demanding for the first time, to be taken seriously as an artist, and with great success. [...] If anyone ever doubted it, songs like the aforementioned singles, the gritty "Love's Gonna Let U Down" and lingering devastation of "I Specialize in Loneliness" establish beyond doubt that George O'Dowd still possesses one of the finest soul voices we've got."[3]
In an retrospective review for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann found the music to be "largely anonymous, if danceable", but singled out "Bow Down Mister" as an exception.[8]
Commercial performance edit
The Martyr Mantras was not a strong seller, only reaching #60 on the UK Albums Chart. Although it did fare better in European countries,[citation needed] The Martyr Mantras failed to enter the US Billboard Top 200.[9]
Track listing edit
- "Generations of Love" (Oakenfold Mix) (Angela Dust, Caron Geary, Simon Rogers) - 7:12
- "One on One" (Brydon L.P. Mix) (Dust, Mark Brydon) - 4:41
- "Love's Gonna Let U Down" (Popcorn Mix) (Dust, Brydon) - 6:08
- "After the Love" (Ten Glorious Years Mix) (Dust, Jon Moss) - 7:41
- "I Specialise in Loneliness" (Dust, John Themis) - 6:24
- "No Clause 28" (Pascal Gabriel Mix) (Boy George O'Dowd, Glenn Nightingale, Ian Maidman, Richie Stevens, Steve Fletcher) - 6:20
- "Love Hurts" (L.P. Mix) (Dust, Bruce Forest, Richard Cottle) - 6:29
- "Siempre Te Amare" (Dust) - 6:07
- "Too Much Love" (Dust, Brydon) - 6:00
- "Bow Down Mister" (Dust) - 6:32
- "Generations of Love" (Seventies Mix) (CD only)
Personnel edit
- Boy George – vocals
- Jonathan Quarmby, Richard Cottle – keyboards
- Colin Elliot – percussion
- Jagdeep Singh – tabla
- Simeon Lister – saxophone
- Beverley Skeete, Derek Green, The Govinda All Stars, Helen Terry, Jacqui McKoy, Jagdeep Singh, Juliet Roberts, London Community Gospel Choir, Sharon McKoy, Stefan Ashton Frank – vocals
Production
- Simon Rogers – producer (track 1 & 11)
- Mark Brydon – producer (tracks 2 & 3)
- Angela Dust – producer (tracks 4 & 9)
- Jon Moss – producer (track 4)
- John Themis – producer (track 5)
- Bobby Z – producer (track 6)
- Jeremy Healy – producer (track 6)
- Bruce Forest – producer (tracks 7 & 10)
- Zeo – producer (track 8)
Charts edit
| Chart (1990–91) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA Charts)[10] | 136 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[11] | 13 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] | 44 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[13] | 60 |
References edit
- ^ a b Obee, Dave (24 February 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
- ^ Farber, Jim (8 February 1991). "The Martyr Mantras". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ^ a b Smith, Andrew (23 March 1991). "Albums". Melody Maker. p. 36. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ "New Releases: Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. 9 February 1991. p. 12. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ Page, Betty (30 March 1991). "Long Play". NME. p. 34. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ Cheeseman, Phil (6 April 1991). "Albums". Record Mirror. p. 16. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ^ Aikin, Jim, "In Review" Keyboard Volume 17, Number 7 (Issue #181) May 1991, page 17
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. "The Martyr Mantras". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
- ^ "Artist Search for "boy george"". AllMusic.
- ^ "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing 20 May 1991". Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Jesus Loves You – The Martyr Mantras" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Jesus Loves You – The Martyr Mantras" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
- ^ "Jesus Loves You | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.