Romance Dance
Romance Dance is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Kim Carnes. It was released on June 2, 1980, by EMI America. It became Carnes' first charting album, peaking at no. 57 on the [Billboard 200|Billboard 200]. Nine tracks were produced by George Tobin in association with Mike Piccirillo, and one track was produced by Daniel Moore, who worked with Carnes on her previous album, St. Vincent's Court.
The album features hit singles "More Love" and "Cry Like a Baby", which reached Nos. 10 and 44, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100.
Background
The album was produced by George Tobin in association with Mike Piccirillo. Carnes had originally intended to record "Bette Davis Eyes" for Romance Dance. Ahead of the album's release, Carnes stated that Romance Dance would be more upbeat than her previous albums, with less of a country influence.Release and promotion
Romance Dance was released on June 2, 1980, by EMI America. Promotion began with Carnes embarking on a tour of American radio stations before joining James Taylor as the support act for a North American concert tour in August 1980. In a review of their concert at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Billboard noted Carnes' "mesmirizing sandpaper vocals" and described her as an "unforgettable performer".Carnes appeared on episode 24 of the fourth season of Sha [Na Na |Sha Na Na] to perform "More Love".
Critical reception
Writing for The StarPhoenix, Don Perkins commended the album and compared Carnes' vocals to Maggie Bell and Melissa Manchester. In the Los Angeles Times, Robert Hilburn described Romance Dance as "one of the best mainstream pop albums" since Carole Bayer Sager's 1977 self-titled debut album.Track listing
- "Swept Me Off My Feet " – 3:21
- "Cry Like a Baby" – 3:05
- "Will You Remember Me" – 4:42
- "Tear Me Apart" – 3:31
- "Changin'" – 3:54
- "More Love" – 3:38
- "In the Chill of the Night" – 4:22
- "Where Is Your Heart" – 3:45
- "And Still Be Loving You" – 3:42
Personnel
- Kim Carnes – lead vocals, backing vocals, acoustic piano
- Bill Cuomo – keyboards, organ, ARP String Ensemble, string arrangements
- Mike Thompson – keyboards
- Mike Piccirillo – guitars, mandolin, arrangements, backing vocals, electric guitar, percussion, acoustic guitar
- Steve Geyer – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- John Beland – mandolin, dobro
- Eric Nelson – bass
- Scott Edwards – bass
- David Hungate – bass
- Craig Krampf – drums
- Joel Peskin – saxophone
- Raphael Ravenscroft – saxophone
- Jim Ed Norman – string arrangements
- Julia Waters Tillman – backing vocals
- Maxine Waters Willard – backing vocals
- Patrick Bolen – backing vocals
- Dave Ellingson – backing vocals
- Herb Pedersen – backing vocals
- Kin Vassy – backing vocals
- Darlene Love – backing vocals
- Edna Wright – backing vocals
- Mike Piccirillo – producer, engineer
- George Tobin – producer
- Daniel Moore – producer
- Ryan Ulyate – engineer
- Howard Wolen – engineer
- Mark Wolfson – engineer
- Larry Hirsch – engineer
- Ron Evans – second engineer
- Val Garay – mixing at Record One
- Niko Bolas – mix assistant
- Mike Reese – mastering
- Doug Sax – mastering
- The Mastering Lab – mastering location
- Gary Goetzman – production manager for George Tobin Productions
- Lisa Marie – session coordinator
- Bill Burks – art direction, design
- Norman Seeff – photography
- Stan Evenson – lettering
Charts