Rest on Me is the first studio album by
Kim Carnes. It was released in 1971 (see
1971 in music) on
Amos Records and reissued on
A&M Records in the late 1970s. The album (minus the opening song) was also released on CD on many European budget labels in the early 1990s - but with all tracks remixed and, rather curiously, running at a markedly low speed. Most tracks were also lengthened, simply by repeating parts of the tracks. In 2012, the original album was re-mastered and made available, complete and at the correct speed, as an internet download in 2012 and on CD on the
Essential Media Group label the following year.
Background
Carnes began her recording career with
The New Christy Minstrels. After meeting producer
Jimmy Bowen in 1971, she signed a recording contract with
Amos Records.[2] Following the album's release, Carnes and her husband David Ellingson issued a standalone single titled "It's Love That Keeps It All Together", also produced by Bowen.[3]
Cash Box described "To Love" as "an interesting up tempo tune in a highly commercial vein", and a "fine performance" by Carnes.[6] They described Rest on Me as a "fabulous album", noting Carnes' ability to interpret songs well.[7]Billboard noted the album's similarities with artists including
Carole King,
Carly Simon and
Gayle McCormick, adding that Carnes is "distinctive in her own right".[8]