Personnel: Carly Simon (vocals, guitar, piano); Bill Payne, Scott Martin (vocals, keyboards); Russ Kunkel (vocals, drums); Jimmy Ryan, Hugh McCracken, T-Bone Wolk, Keith Scott, John McCurry (guitar); Stevie Wonder (harmonica); Peter-John Vettese, Michael Brecker, Leon Pendarvis, Rob Mounsey, Robbie Kilgore, Charles Kentis III, Dave Pickell (keyboards); Neil Jason, Dave Taylor, Tony Levin (bass); Frank Filipetti (linn drum); Mikey Curry (drums); Jimmy Bralower, Jimmy Maelan (percussion); Scott Martin, Terri Homberg, Paul Samwell-Smith, Carly Simon, Lucy Simon, Jimmy Ryan, Peter John Vettsese, Janice Pendarvis, Lani Groves, Gordon Grody, Marc LaFrance, Will Lee, Caz Lee, Roberta Flack, Sally Taylor, Ben Taylor, Alexandra Taylor, Isaac Taylor (background vocals); The Timothy Wright Concert Choir.
Audio Remasterer: Nick Robbins.
Liner Note Author: Christian John Wikane.
Recording information: Cliffhanger Studio, Vancouver; Flying Monkey, NYC; Pin Wheel Studios, NYC; Power Station, NYC; Right Track Recording, NYC; The Hit Factory, NYC.
Photographer: Lynn Goldsmith.
It's probably not a coincidence that Carly Simon scored a comeback hit around the same time that the television show THIRTYSOMETHING started--or for that matter that Simon later guested on the show--because Simon's career has long been based on exactly the sort of ironically self-aware navel-gazing that show specialized in. That she happened to have written a song that caught a certain element of the baby-boomer zeitgeist at just the right moment made it natural that the song would be an adult contemporary hit.
That the song, "Coming Around Again," is one of the finest of her career is gravy. The rest of the album has a similarly wistful mood, with songs like "Hold What You've Got" and "You Have to Hurt" particular standouts. Bryan Adams' "It Should Have Been Me" is an odd choice, but the swaying "All I Want is You," with harmonies by Roberta Flack, is sheer delight.
