Kim Carnes
Hits

It’s basically a big run through the ’80s on Kim Carnes’ Hits. Yes we get some early “hits,” songs like the soft country, pretty mover, “You’re A Part of Me” and the lady’s big commercial hit, “It’s Not the Spotlight,” with some great guitar playing from Peter Carr, but mainly the bulk of these 19 tunes are from the 80’s, arguably the sandpaper-throated Carnes’ most prolific period of popularity.

Of course “Bette Davis Eyes” is here, Carnes’ big breakout hit of 1981, as well as her duet with ex-bandmate Kenny Rogers on “Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer,” a poppy ballad, but still a solid tune. We also get gems like the title track of her Voyeur album and “Does It Make You Remember” stained as they are with tight synth drum sounds and big Flashdance-like grooves.

For me the highlight is two versions of the same song, “Make No Mistake, He’s Mine,” a stellar torcher that Carnes and Barbara Streisand released on Streisand’s Emotion album in the year of our Orwell. The original duet is here as well as Carnes’ superior solo killer version. It’s worth the price of this album alone if you don’t already have this gem.

Thankfully my favorite Kim Carnes tune is here, “Crazy In the Night,” from her Barking at Airplanes album with its frantic pace and big crazy chorus, showing that this seemingly lithe silver-haired woman could rock beyond the ’80s trappings when she wanted to.

The album can be purchased here.