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.
Composition
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
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".[8] 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".[2] 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."[4]
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann found the music to be "largely anonymous, if danceable", but singled out "Bow Down Mister" as an exception.[9]
Commercial performance
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 BillboardTop 200.[10]
