Bulletproof Heart is the ninth studio album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released on October 31, 1989 by Capitol Records. The album, co-produced by Chris Stanley, would be Jones' last studio album for 19 years, until the release of Hurricane in 2008.
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. 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 and David Cole of C+C Music Factory, who would achieve a global success with the dance track "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" in 1990, and Jonathan Elias. 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, Hurricane, was eventually released in 2008. A remastered, copy protected edition of the album was released in 2004 on EMI Records, and came with two more bonus tracks.
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", a song from the 1946 film Gilda, 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.
Bulletproof Heart met with unflattering reception in both critical and commercial performance. In his review music critic Robert Christgau wrote that the songs "proclaim her vulnerability and/or softness of orifice" and according to him the result is "incongruous".[4] AllMusic 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.
All tracks are written by Grace Jones and Chris Stanley, except where noted
Notes
Grace's 80s ended with a damp squib rather than a bang, with a clear sense on Bulletproof Heart that she's chasing trends rather than setting them. Co-writing the bulk of the album with her first husband, Chris Stanley, it continues the commercial approach of Inside Story and attempts to grab a bit of the action of the then-current fashion of beat-heavy electronic R&B. Clivillés and Cole of C+C Music Factory, the hot production duo of the time, deliver the best moments, including Love On Top Of Love, one of only two singles released on the LP.