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.

"After a long period of corporate fine tuning, MCA released Olivia's Soul Kiss with a kinky Helmut Newton cover, a lean John Farrar production and a fun single, the album's title track.

Check her out live sometime, mark her for range, pitch, phrasing, energy, ballsiness and, yes, commitment to the songs, and see if you don't agree.

In their review of the album, Billboard commented that "the pop diva returns with sophisticated production and a mixed bag of soft rockers and ballads.

"[6] Cashbox stated that "Olivia Newton-John’s commercial track record is undeniable, and Soul Kiss should be another retail and radio coup for the vocalist.

With fast movers like the title track and biting cuts like “Queen Of The Publication," Newton spreads her musical wings a bit, and with help from musicians like Lee Ritenour, Tom Scott and Steve Lukather, look for the highly polished “Soul Kiss” to be a hot seller during the Christmas rush.

"[7] AllMusic editor Joe Viglione retrospectively found that Soul Kiss "seems a bit contrived...Olivia seems to have abandoned her strongholds, adult contemporary and country, her superstar status not worthy of this temporary image, a transition which needed stronger material for this big a change."