Body, Mind, Soul is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson, released on January 19, 1993, by Atlantic Records. The album, which saw the then 23-year-old Gibson attempt to mature her sound by moving away from dance and pop in favor of sultrier R&B, failed to find favor with the record buying public and missed out on the U.S. top 100, peaking at No. 109,[8] and also in the UK when it was released a few months later. However, the album was a hit in Japan, peaking at No. 13 on the charts. It was Gibson's last studio album under Atlantic Records.
Reception
Billboard praised the album, nothing that "maturing former teen icon aims to recapture late-80's chart success with a barrelful of potential hits. Perhaps as a result of her recent Broadway appearance, Gibson has begun to plumb the lower end of her alto, sounding downright sultry on such cuts as lead single "Losin' Myself." Other winners are "Shock Your Mama," with an irresistibly catchy chorus and a rap break, and "Love Or Money" and "Free Me," both tailor-made for Top 40."[9]
Rolling Stone praised the album, calling it "surprising...what Deb does here, Madonna only talks about on Erotica...Gibson's breathy notes climb mall waterfalls and extend toward heaven as the music flows into cascades of incrementally harder rhythms; she loses her inhibitions... Body, Mind, Soul is her revenge."[7]
AllMusic were more mixed in their review, commenting that "it must be difficult for a teen sensation to bridge herself from her own self-inflicted goody two-shoes labelling to a modern, respectable artist." The reviewer noted that the co-penned tracks were "gnawing and incessant" and that "to Gibson's credit, the best songs are those written wholly by her."[1]
Reissues
The album was included in the 2017 box set We Could Be Together, with two B-sides and three remixes as bonus tracks.[10] A special two-disc digipack edition was released by Cherry Red Records on November 18, 2022.[11]
