City Streets (album)

City Streets (album)

City Streets is an album by American singer-songwriter Carole King, released in 1989. It was the first album after 6-year hiatus from her recording career, co-produced by Rudy Guess who supported her as a backing guitarist in later years.

The title track features a guitar solo by Eric Clapton. It was released as a single and became top-20 hit on the U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Clapton also played the guitar on "Ain't That the Way." Another notable guest musician is Branford Marsalis, who played the saxophone on "Midnight Flyer."

Before making a comeback record, King fostered an acting career. "I Can't Stop Thinking About You" is a collaboration work with an actor Paul Hipp, who co-starred with her in the off-Broadway show A Minor Incident in 1988. "Midnight Flyer" and "Someone Who Believes in You" was co-written by her former songwriting partner and husband Gerry Goffin. The closing track of the album is her own rendition of the song originally written for Russell Hitchcock, a vocalist of Air Supply. His interpretation was initially featured on his eponymous solo debut album released in 1987, and he remade the song on Air Supply's The Earth Is... album four years later. It was also covered by Martha Wash in 1993 on her solo album.

Like her other efforts released in the 1980s, City Streets received mixed critical reviews and resulted in a commercial flop, only reaching #111 on the Billboard album chart. The album has been out of print worldwide since 1993, although reissue was once planned by American Beat Records in 2007.