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. 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 no. 10 and no. 44 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 made a cameo appearance on episode 24 of the fourth season of 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

Personnel

Production

Studios

Charts