Kickin' It Up

Kickin' It Up
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 25, 1994 (1994-01-25)
Recorded1993
Studio
GenreCountry
Length34:26
LabelAtlantic
ProducerScott Hendricks
John Michael Montgomery chronology
Life's a Dance
(1992)
Kickin' It Up
(1994)
John Michael Montgomery
(1995)
Alternative cover
Japan Cover
Singles from Kickin' It Up
  1. "I Swear"
    Released: November 19, 1993
  2. "Rope the Moon"
    Released: March 14, 1994
  3. "Be My Baby Tonight"
    Released: May 23, 1994
  4. "If You've Got Love"
    Released: September 19, 1994
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyB[2]
New Country[3]

Kickin' It Up is the second studio album by American country music artist John Michael Montgomery. The album was released by Atlantic Records on January 25, 1994. On February 19 of the same year, the album reached #1 on the Billboard 200.[4] Four songs were released from it: "I Swear," "Rope the Moon," "Be My Baby Tonight" and "If You've Got Love." Three of the singles reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, while "Rope the Moon" was a #4. "Be My Baby Tonight" and "I Swear" both crossed over into the Hot 100, peaking at #73 and #42, respectively. Additionally, "Kick It Up" peaked at #72 from unsolicited airplay. "I Swear" was later covered by pop group All-4-One, whose version was also a Number One hit in several countries.[1]

Critical reception

[edit]

Giving it 3.5 out of 5 stars, Brian Mansfield wrote in New Country magazine that "On Kickin' It Up...Montgomery captures the personality he has spent the last year developing on stage." He praised Montgomery's energy on "Friday at Five" and "Be My Baby Tonight" in particular.[3]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Be My Baby Tonight"Richard Fagan, Ed Hill2:50
2."Full-Time Love"Carson Chamberlain, Zack Turner2:53
3."I Swear"Gary Baker, Frank J. Myers4:22
4."She Don't Need a Band to Dance"Randy Archer, Freddy Weller3:21
5."All In My Heart"Mike Geiger, Woody Mullis3:46
6."Friday at Five"Jimmy Alan Stewart, George Teren2:41
7."Rope the Moon"Aggie Brown, Jess Brown, Jimmy Denton4:06
8."If You've Got Love"Mark D. Sanders, Steve Seskin3:54
9."Oh How She Shines"Pat Bunch, Doug Johnson3:14
10."Kick It Up"Andy Byrd, Jim Robinson3:17

Production

[edit]
  • Scott Hendricks – producer, overdub recording, mixing
  • John Guess – recording
  • Jeff Balding – mixing (10)
  • Amy Hughes – recording assistant
  • John Kunz – recording assistant, additional engineer, mix assistant, production assistant
  • Marty Williams – recording assistant
  • Hank Williams – mastering at MasterMix (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • Virginia Team – art direction
  • Jerry Joyner – design
  • Karen Miller – photography
  • Lori Turk – make-up
  • Hallmark Direction Co. – management

Personnel

[edit]

As listed in the liner notes.[5]

Group vocals on "Kick It Up"

  • Mike Janas, John Kunz, Mimi Nuyens, Harry Stinson, Bruce Sulfridge and Dennis Wilson

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[12] 2× Platinum 200,000^
United States (RIAA)[13] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^
United States (RIAA)[14]
Video
Gold 50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Kickin' It Up at AllMusic. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  2. ^ Alanna Nash (January 28, 1994). "Kickin' It Up Review". EW.com. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
  3. ^ a b Mansfield, Brian (March 1994). "Reviews: Kickin' It Up". New Country. 1 (1): 44.
  4. ^ "Billboard 200". Billboard. 2 January 2013.
  5. ^ Kickin' It Up (CD). John Michael Montgomery. Atlantic Records. 1994. CD 82559.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ "John Michael Montgomery Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  7. ^ "John Michael Montgomery Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  8. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  9. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  10. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  11. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  12. ^ "Canadian album certifications – John Michael Montgomery – Kickin' It Up". Music Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  13. ^ "American album certifications – John Michael Montgomery – Kickin' It Up". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  14. ^ "American video certifications – John Michael Montgomery – Kickin' It Up". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 3, 2024.