Kickin' It Up

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]

Kickin' It Up
Studio album by John Michael Montgomery
Released	January 25, 1994 (1994-01-25)
Recorded	1993
Studio	The Castle, Franklin, TN, Midtone & Volume, Recording Arts, and Woodland Sound Studio, Nashville, TN
Genre	Country
Length	34:26
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Scott 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
"I Swear" Released: November 19, 1993 "Rope the Moon" Released: March 14, 1994 "Be My Baby Tonight" Released: May 23, 1994 "If You've Got Love" Released: September 19, 1994

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Entertainment Weekly	B^[2]
New Country	^[3]

Critical reception

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

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Be My Baby Tonight"	Richard Fagan, Ed Hill	2:50
2.	"Full-Time Love"	Carson Chamberlain, Zack Turner	2:53
3.	"I Swear"	Gary Baker, Frank J. Myers	4:22
4.	"She Don't Need a Band to Dance"	Randy Archer, Freddy Weller	3:21
5.	"All In My Heart"	Mike Geiger, Woody Mullis	3:46
6.	"Friday at Five"	Jimmy Alan Stewart, George Teren	2:41
7.	"Rope the Moon"	Aggie Brown, Jess Brown, Jimmy Denton	4:06
8.	"If You've Got Love"	Mark D. Sanders, Steve Seskin	3:54
9.	"Oh How She Shines"	Pat Bunch, Doug Johnson	3:14
10.	"Kick It Up"	Andy Byrd, Jim Robinson	3:17

Production

• Produced By Scott Hendricks
• Engineered By Scott Hendricks, Amy Hughes, John Kunz, John Guess & Marty Williams
• Mixed By Jeff Balding, Scott Hendricks & John Kunz
• Mastered By Hank Williams

Personnel

As listed in the liner notes.^[5]

• Bill Cuomo – synthesizer (3, 7, 9)
• Stuart Duncan – fiddle (all tracks), mandolin (8)
• Paul Franklin – pedal steel guitar (all tracks)
• Steve Gibson – acoustic guitar (1-3, 6, 8, 9)
• Dann Huff – electric guitar (1-9), acoustic guitar (10)
• John Barlow Jarvis – piano (2), Hammond B-3 organ (2, 10)
• Brent Mason – electric guitar (all tracks)
• John Michael Montgomery – lead vocals (all tracks)
• John Wesley Ryles – background vocals (1-2, 4-6, 8-10)
• Harry Stinson – background vocals (3, 7)
• Billy Joe Walker Jr. – acoustic guitar (4, 5, 7, 10)
• Dennis Wilson – background vocals (1-9)
• Lonnie Wilson – drums (all tracks)
• Glenn Worf – bass guitar (all tracks)
• Reese Wynans – piano (all tracks), Hammond B-3 organ (5, 7)

Group vocals on "Kick It Up" by Harry Stinson, Dennis Wilson, Mimi Nuyens, Bruce Sulfridge, John Kunz and Mike Janas.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1994) Peak position Canadian Albums (RPM) 23 Canadian Country Albums (RPM) 1 US Billboard 200^[6] 1 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[7] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1994) Position US Billboard 200^[8] 35 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[9] 4 Chart (1995) Position US Billboard 200^[10] 119 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[11] 19

Certification

Region	Certification
United States (RIAA)^[12]	4× Platinum

References

1. Kickin' It Up at AllMusic. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
2. Alanna Nash (January 28, 1994). "Kickin' It Up Review | Music Reviews and News". EW.com. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
3. 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. "American album certifications – John Michael Montgomery – Kickin' It Up". Recording Industry Association of America.