Retro Spins: Kim Carnes - Mistaken Identity

I was never a big fan of Kim Carnes. Her song, Bette Davis Eyes, was one I knew from the 80's, but didn't honestly impress me. At least in my younger years. As I grew into adulthood, and started digging into those obscure tracks of the 80's, Kim Carnes was a name which was on many lists. As I began to reintroduce myself to the singer, I had to admit her Bette Davis song had grown on me. While her music wasn't an immediate "need" for me, I added her 1981 Mistaken Identity album to my list to eventually get around to.

Well, obviously that happened because here we are.

Carnes has one of those unique voices for a female artist. With her raspy, "I need another cigarette," kind of voice, it's not necessarily the best I've ever heard. However, it stands out from a crowd. The question was, "Could I handle ten tracks in a row like that?" It honestly had its ups and downs.

When you name an album, typically the artist behind it is saying, "This is the inspiration and my personal favorite from the album." After all, this is why it's the album title. Mistaken Identity is a boring and dreadfully bland song. It doesn't get much better from there either. The singer, and subsequently her songs, sound like they belong in a bar being drowned out by the local patrons. In other words, ignored.

This is where I have a problem with albums and songs which were released between 1980 and 1981. The majority of them which topped the charts just weren't any good. Here in lies the perfect example. I have no clue how Kim Carnes, Mistaken Identity, not only hit number one, but stayed there for four consecutive weeks. It's pretty awful. I actually found myself skipping through the majority of the songs because they just weren't resonating on any level with me.

I don't think one is supposed to roll their eyes at a song, but that's exactly what I found myself doing with track five, Draw Of The Cards. The lyrics are, well, dumb, and Carnes is much to into the lyrics, delivering lines with over the top silliness which all comes off as comical. I don't think for a moment she was expecting people to laugh at her music, because last I checked, she wasn't releasing comedy albums.

Still Hold On took me a little by surprise - because I actually found myself enjoying it quite a bit. An oddity considering I don't like ballads. However, I think the reason behind this was because songs in this style really showcase Carnes unique vocals, and this is what draws you in. At least it did me.

Overall, I ended up skipping through a lot of this album because I could only take ten to twenty seconds of most of the songs before needing to skip them. It just wasn't very good, and Carnes voice either hits the right note, or grates on the nerves. Since I only paid a couple bucks for the CD, I won't hate on coming away with only two decent songs, Bette Davis Eyes and Still Hold On. Beyond that though, this one is a hard pass. I definitely won't be seeking out any further albums from her.

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