Released in January 1994, Kickin’ It Up was JMM’s second album release for Atlantic, and would prove to be John Michael Montgomery’s [“JMM”] most successful album release reaching #1 on Billboard’s country and all-genres charts. The album’s success was fueled by the first single was the romantic ballad “I Swear” which reached #1 country/#42 pop and it was the number one country song of the year per Billboard. This single was followed by “Rope the Moon” (#4), “Be My Baby Tonight” (#1) and “If You’ve Got Love” (#1).
The album opens with “Be My Baby Tonight” a spritely up-tempo number that was the third single on the album.
Could ya would ya ain’t ya gonna if I asked you
Would ya wanna be my baby tonight
Yeah I’d take a chance slow dance make a little romance
Honey it’ll be alright
Girl you got me wishin’ we were huggin’
and a kissin’ and a holdin’ each other tight
So could ya would ya ain’t ya gonna if I asked you
Would ya wanna be my baby tonight
This is followed by “Full-Time Love”, a mid-tempo ballad.
Gary Baker & Frank Myers, a pair of singer/songwriters who were put together as a duo by MCG/Curb Records. The pair released an album the following year as Baker & Myers with limited success; however, both continued to have success as songwriters, together and apart, but nothing else ever reached the success of “I Swear”. In addition to JMM’s huge hit, the song would be covered later by an R&B group All-4-One and also would be covered by other artists in languages other than English. The various versions of the song would sell in excess of 20 million copies.
‘ll give you everything I can
I’ll build your dreams with these two hands
We’ll hang some memories on the wall
And when there’s silver in your hair
You won’t have to ask if I still care
‘Cause as time turns the page
My love won’t age at all
I swear
By the moon and stars in the sky
I’ll be there
I swear
Like the shadow that’s by your side
I’ll be there
Next up is “She Don’t Need a Band To Dance,” a rather generic mid-tempo ballad that JMM performs well. This is followed by “All In My Heart,” a nice ballad of longing in which the protagonist imagines a love as he wishes it to be. I think that “All In My Heart” would have made a nice single for someone:
I sit here tonight
And look in your eyes
For that old familiar flame
That love that burns
Makes my wolrd turn
Two hearts beating the same
Is it all in my mind
Or is it harder to find
I feel like I’m in the dark
I thought it was real
But I’m starting to feel
Like it must be all in my heart
I’m a fool for believing
But I just keep dreaming
While we just keep drifting apart
Trying to make something
Where there’s really nothing
I guess it’s all in my heart
“Friday at Noon” is up-tempo filler probably designed for line dancing – it’s pleasant but nothing exceptional.
“Rope The Moon” was the second single off the album and a really outstanding ballad. This is followed by another outstanding ballad “If You’ve Got Love”, the final single released from the album.
The album closes with a nice ballad “Oh How She Shines” and “Kick It Up” which was likely a dance floor favorite.
JMM’s sound would become more solidly country over time but this album features pretty solid country production with the likes of Stuart Duncan on fiddle and mandolin, Paul Franklin on steel guitar, Brent Mason on electric guitar, Glen Worf on bass and John Wesley Ryles on harmony vocals (except on “I Swear” and “Rope The Moon where ‘Handsome Harry’ Stinson provides the harmony vocals).
While this album is only slightly better than its predecessor, the presence of four big hits, including the mega-hit “I Swear”, propelled this album to quadruple platinum status and greatly increased his sales profile in Canada. I would give this album an A-