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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Goblin In Her Closet, October 29, 2001
Kim Carnes' recording career could be stylistically diagrammed as an ellipse, beginning with the folk and pop-country music of her earliest albums, and returning to the same vein nearly twenty years later with "Checkin' Out The Ghosts" and more recent performances. Like a lot of Kim's fans, I've been eagerly anticipating these CD reissues; now the market for those outrageously priced Japanese imports can be bypassed in favor of these terrific new (domestic) discs.To pick up where I left off, re: the ellipse, "Cafe Racers" seems to fall at or near the furthest point from the central axis. To be more specific, the album represents a stylistic re-grouping, maybe even the product of a "let's sit back and think about the direction we're headed in" attitude. Kim's previous album, the dark and luscious "Voyeur" was a HUGE leap in style and direction, but alas, also a sales disappointment. EMI-America was still a relatively new label, and for various reasons was absorbed back into parent Capitol/EMI within ten years of it's first label release, Kim's own "St Vincent's Court." This is my own speculation: Kim's rocket to stardom, "Bette Davis Eyes," became the goblin in her closet, a strange reminder that greatness in anything can be damn daunting. Whether or not you think "BDE" was a fluke smash or a novelty, can you imagine the creative pressure Kim put on herself (not to mention pressure from her label) to repeat her chart-topping success? "Voyeur" took Kim's audience deep into a stylized, "futurized" Rock, rife with emotional alienation. There were hints of this potential direction in "Mistaken Identity," like the arch arrangements for both "BDE" and "Draw Of the Cards." Whether it was Kim or EMI (or both) who insisted on some style changes, "Cafe Racers" marks a return to more upbeat and occasionally sentimental territory. Upon first listen, "Cafe Racers" sounds at least as synthesizer heavy as "Voyeur," and the propulsive drums echo the same dancefloor intensity. But the lyrical content of half this album's tracks in conspicuously "warmer" in matters of the heart than anything on "Voyeur." Kim knew (knows) her way around ballads, and here there are several set to danceable beats. The Rock guitar and live band arrangements from '81 and '82 are all but absent, the void largely filled with synthesized accompaniment. Given the period, the musical choices made for "Cafe Racers" seem perfectly legit, and that's part of the reason why the album doesn't excell. "Mistaken Identity" had it's quirky Pop/Rock, "Voyeur" it's sleek siren call; "Cafe Racers" lacks a comparable distinction. Mind you, even as contemporary dance-pop-rock, "Cafe Racers" has plenty of charm. Kim is in excellent voice throughout, whether she's matching the breakneck speed of "You Make My Heart Beat Faster" or offering punky phrasing and sly crooning in "Kick In the Heart." The dance appeal of most of the material is significant, and was brought to fruition with a string of great 12" single remixes ("Invisible Hands," "You Make My Heart..." and especially "Hurricane"). Strangely, for an album that spawned five singles (the three above, plus "I Pretend" and "The Universal Song"), "Cafe Racers" didn't linger on the album charts for long. Both EMI and Kim deserve kudos for pushing so hard for this album, and at worst I think it would have been considered a qualified success. Still, when you're working in the shadow of past glories it's normal to be a little resentful. From what I have read online it seems that "Cafe Racers" is one of Kim's (personal) least favorite albums, and that's a shame. It seems likely that if she had taken on production chores herself (as she did with her next release, "Barking At Airplanes") this album would have a few more rough edges, the sort of thing that producer Keith Olsen opts to buff to a blinding sheen. What he produced isn't bad by any stretch, it just lacks stylistic dynamics. And since that isn't the sort of thing to deter KC fans, I can easily recommend this album to them. It's also a safe bet for fans of female rock/pop vocals, '80s dance music, and music fans with a taste for melodic love and loss. The inclusion of three terrific dance remixes makes this disc unique, not least for including the jaunty (non-album track) "Invitation To Dance." J
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by Kim Carnes 
