Kickin' It Up (CD - 1994)

Personnel: John Michael Montgomery (vocals); Steve Gibson, Billy Joe Walker, Jr. (acoustic guitar); Dan Huff (acoustic & electric guitars); Brent Mason (electric guitar); Paul Franklin (pedal steel guitar); Stuart Duncan (fiddle); Reese Wynans (piano, Hammond B-3); John Barlow Jarvis (Hammond B-3); Bill Cuomo (synthesizer); Glenn Worf (bass); Lonnie Wilson (drums); John Wesley Ryles, Dennis Wilson, Harry Stinson, Mimi Nuyens, Bruce Sulfridge, John Kunz, Mike Janas (background vocals).

Recorded at Woodland Recording Studios, Nashville, Tennessee.

"I Swear" won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Country Song. It was also nominated for Song Of The Year and Best Male Country Vocal Performance.

As the title suggests, John Michael Montgomery kicks up the tempos and reveals a stronger country-rock bent. He still leans heavily on contemporary ballads ("I Swear," "Rope the Moon"), but proves just as capable on the brawnier songs. Kickin' It Up became a number one album on the pop charts shortly after its release. ~ Michael McCall

What separates John Michael Montgomery from other Nashville hunks? For starters his dimples are deeper, his hats are darker, his shirts are cooler, his songs are better, his voice is more versatile, and he's not from Texas. He's a Kentuckian who cut his teeth in local bars and is now spending most of his time at the top of both the country and pop charts. The hit-laden KICKIN' IT UP held Billboard's #1 Pop Album position, due mostly to the killer ballad "I Swear," which later reached #1 for the pop group All-4-One. The devotional "I Swear" is a once-in-a-lifetime career-making song, and it attests to Montgomery's talent in selecting material.

Montgomery is the current successor to George Jones, and the honky tonk in his world has a blistering country jukebox, beautiful women, fast-flowing beer, and a whole lotta dancing. He wears his influences proudly, especially in the Jones-influenced "She Don't Need A Band To Dance."

The ease in which Montgomery flows from the gimmicky, slamming, country rocker "Be My Baby Tonight," to the emotional ballad "Rope The Moon," proves what an effective interpreter the young performer is.

John Michael Montgomery has taken Nashville by storm and is certainly KICKIN' IT UP, separating himself from the pack...in a big cloud of barroom floor sawdust. minimize