Gypsy Honeymoon: The Best of Kim Carnes explained

Gypsy Honeymoon: The Best of Kim Carnes is a compilation album by American singer-songwriter Kim Carnes, released on February 9, 1993, by EMI. It contains some of Carnes' hit singles, some album tracks and three new recordings. The three duets with Kenny Rogers, Barbra Streisand and Gene Cotton had never appeared on an album by Carnes before this release.

The title track was released as a single in 1993 and reached no. 65 in Germany.

Background

Carnes noted that Gypsy Honeymoon is "a best-of, not a greatest hits", including some of Carnes' personal favourites and tracks requested by her fans.^[1] Gypsy Honeymoon featured two brand new tracks, "Chain Letter" and "Don't Cry Now", and a re-recording of the title track which originally appeared on Carnes' previous studio album Checkin' Out the Ghosts (1991), released exclusively in Japan. Carnes stated that she was so proud of the track that she wanted to re-record it so that it could reach a wider audience.^[2] "Gypsy Honeymoon" was released as the lead single and it peaked at no. 65 on the German Top 100 Singles chart.^[3] In 2002, Carnes provided backing vocals for a version of "Gypsy Honeymoon" recorded by Collin Raye on his album Can't Back Down (2002). "Don't Cry Now" was remixed and released as a promotional single later in 1993.^[4]

On March 4, 1994, Michelle Wright performed "Gypsy Honeymoon" at the St. Joseph Civic Arena in Missouri as a tribute to John Candy, who passed away earlier that day.^[5]

Critical reception

Writing for The Tampa Tribune, Michael Dunn described Gypsy Honeymoon as "a bright 'hello' and a good buy", noting that Carnes has "an ear for good tunes and a stylish vocal delivery".^[6] In The Morning Call, Larry Printz observed that the album is missing a number of her Top 40 hits, with the compilation instead acting as "a portrait of a smart singer-songwriter" with numerous album tracks. He complimented the three new songs, opining that they promise "more great work from Carnes in the 90s".^[7] The Calgary Herald complimented Gypsy Honeymoon on its inclusion of hits "More Love", "Crazy in the Night (Barking at Airplanes)" and "Bette Davis Eyes", but opined that Carnes' voice "starts to wear thin" over time.^[8]

In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described Gypsy Honeymoon as "a fairly satisfying collection for most casual fans", noting the absence of "Draw of the Cards" and "Voyeur".^[9]

Personnel

Credits for tracks 1–3 adapted from liner notes.^[10]

Musicians

• Kim Carnes – lead vocals, backing vocals
• Don Dixon – production, bass, backing vocals, harmony vocals
• Steve Goldstein – keys
  • Tim Pierce – electric guitar, EBow Steven Soles – acoustic guitar, mandolin
• Denny Fongheiser – drums
• Jim Brock – percussion
• Andrea Robinson – backing vocals
• Maxine Waters Willard – backing vocals
• Julia Tillman Waters – backing vocals

Technical

• Peter Doell – engineering
• Richard Bosworth – vocal engineering
• Eric Rudd – assistant engineering
• Dan Bosworth – assistant engineering
• Lori Gillman – production assistant
• Don Dixon – mixing
• Mark Williams – mixing
• Paul Lani – remixing

Design

• Henry Marquez – art direction
• Loren Hanes – photography
• Diane Cuddy – design
• Mark Cozza – hand lettering
• George Newell – makeup
• Kathy Blizzard – hair stylist

Notes and References

1. News: Jinkins. Shirley. Kim Carnes goes country. The Kingston Whig-Standard. Kingston, Ontario. 25. March 10, 1994. February 14, 2022. Newspapers.com.
2. Where the Heart Is An Interview With Multi-Grammy Winner Kim Carnes, Part Two. Wikane. Christian John. PopMatters. April 23, 2017. February 14, 2022.
3. Web site: Kim Carnes – Gypsy Honeymoon. German. GfK Entertainment charts. February 10, 2022.
4. Don't Cry Now. 1993. EMI. USA. Booklet. DPRO-04736.
5. News: Wiedmaier. Linda M.. Civic gets good dose of country. St. Joseph News-Press. St. Joseph, Missouri. 13. March 5, 1994. February 14, 2022. Newspapers.com.
6. News: Dunn. Michael. Kim Carnes, Gypsy Honeymoon: The Best of Kim Carnes. The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. 76. March 13, 1993. February 14, 2022. Newspapers.com.
7. News: Printz. Larry. Records – Kim Carnes: Gypsy Honeymoon – The Best of Kim Carnes. . Allentown, Pennsylvania. 14. March 6, 1993. February 14, 2022. Newspapers.com.
8. News: Muretich. James. Obee. Dave. Blasts from the Past – Kim Carnes: Gypsy Honeymoon. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 26. February 14, 1993. February 14, 2022. Newspapers.com.
9. Web site: Kim Carnes Gypsy Honeymoon: Best of Kim Carnes . Erlewine . Stephen Thomas . . February 10, 2022 . June 14, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120614132146/https://www.allmusic.com/album/gypsy-honeymoon-best-of-kim-carnes-mw0000093328 . live .
10. Gypsy Honeymoon: The Best of Kim Carnes. 1993. EMI. USA. Booklet. 077779822324.