City Streets (album)

Last updated

City Streets
City Streets Carole King.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 1989
StudioSkyline Studios New York, NY
Genre Rock
Length42:50
Label Capitol
Producer Carole King, Rudy Guess
Carole King chronology
Speeding Time
(1983)
City Streets
(1989)
Colour of Your Dreams
(1993)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Deseret News (Mixed) [3]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]

City Streets is the 14th album by American singer-songwriter Carole King, released in 1989. It was her first album after six-year hiatus from her recording career, co-produced by Rudy Guess who supported her as a backing guitarist in later years.

Contents

The title track features a guitar solo by Eric Clapton. It was released as a single and became a Top 20 hit in the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Clapton also played the guitar on "Ain't That the Way". Another notable guest musician is Branford Marsalis, who played the saxophone on "Midnight Flyer".

Before making a comeback record, King fostered an acting career. "I Can't Stop Thinking About You" is a collaboration work with actor Paul Hipp, who co-starred with her in the off-Broadway show A Minor Incident in 1988. "Midnight Flyer" and "Someone Who Believes in You" were co-written by her former songwriting partner and husband Gerry Goffin. The latter was originally written for Air Supply vocalist Russell Hitchcock. His interpretation was initially featured on his eponymous solo debut released in 1987, and he remade the song on Air Supply's album The Earth Is... , four years later. It was also covered by Martha Wash in 1993 on her solo album.

Like her other efforts released in the 1980s, City Streets received mixed critical reviews and underperformed commercially, reaching only No. 111 on the Billboard 200. The album had been out of print worldwide since 1993, although a reissue was once planned by American Beat Records in 2007. In 2024, however, King re-released the album to digital platforms under her own imprint Rockingale Records. [5] [6]

Track listing

Side One
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."City Streets"Carole King5:00
2."Sweet Life"King, Rudy Guess4:34
3."Down to the Darkness"King4:17
4."Lovelight"King4:28
5."I Can't Stop Thinking About You" (Duet with Paul Hipp)King, Paul Hipp 5:00
Side Two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Legacy"King, Guess5:04
7."Ain't That the Way"King3:09
8."Midnight Flyer"King, Gerry Goffin 4:27
9."Homeless Heart" (Duet with Sherry Goffin)King, John Bettis 4:05
10."Someone Who Believes in You"King, Goffin2:56

Personnel

Production

Chart positions

Chart (1989)Position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [7] 40
Canadian RPM Albums Chart [8] 66
Dutch Albums Chart [9] 67
U.S. Billboard 200 [10] 111

References

  1. AllMusic Review
  2. Van Matre, Lynn (April 13, 1989). "Carole King City Streets (Capitol)". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  3. Sprangler, Jerry (May 6, 1989). "FOLK MUSIC IS MAKING A COMEBACK TO THE SURPRISE OF INDUSTRY INSIDERS". Deseret News . Deseret News. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  4. Hoerburger, Rob (May 18, 1989), "City Streets by Carole King", Rolling Stone
  5. King, Carole. "'City Streets' is being re-issued on King's own label imprint Rockingale Records. An enduring fan favorite, City Streets was King's 14th album, released in 1989 on Capitol Records". Facebook. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  6. "City Streets by Carole King on Apple Music". Apple Music. April 11, 1989. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  7. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 166/167. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  8. "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 50, No. 4". RPM . May 22, 1989. Archived from the original (PHP) on January 6, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  9. "dutchcharts.nl Carole King - City Streets" (ASP). Hung Medien. MegaCharts . Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  10. Allmusic - Charts & Awards