Restless Nights (Karla Bonoff album)

Restless Nights
Studio album by Karla Bonoff
Released	September 1979
Studio	The Sound Factory (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	Pop, MOR
Length	37:19
Label	Columbia
Producer	Kenny Edwards
Karla Bonoff chronology
Karla Bonoff (1977) Restless Nights (1979) Wild Heart of the Young (1982)

Restless Nights is the second album by singer/songwriter Karla Bonoff. The album peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard albums chart[1] and number 66 on the Australian Kent Music Report.[2]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]

Rolling Stone's Don Shewey dismissed Bonoff's work as "sappy, MOR schlock," but noted that "Trouble Again" and "Baby Don't Go" are "fast, fun and disposable — i.e., everything a pop single should be... The remainder of Restless Nights is insufferable sludge."[4] The New York Times called Restless Nights "one of the most lovely albums of the year," writing that the songs "are sung with elegance, and their instrumental support is similarly pristine."[5]

AllMusic's William Ruhlmann retrospectively called "Trouble Again" "a gem (as Linda Ronstadt proved when she recorded it)" but concluded that the album "did not represent the leap that would have been required to vault Bonoff into the ranks of her star friends."[3]

Track listing

All songs written by Karla Bonoff, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Trouble Again"	Bonoff, Kenny Edwards	3:37
2.	"Restless Nights"		5:18
3.	"The Letter"		2:47
4.	"When You Walk in the Room"	Jackie DeShannon	3:00
5.	"Only a Fool"		6:07
6.	"Baby Don't Go"	Bonoff, Kenny Edwards	3:19
7.	"Never Stop Her Heart"		4:49
8.	"Loving You"		3:26
9.	"The Water Is Wide"	Traditional	4:56

Personnel

• Karla Bonoff – vocals, backing vocals (1, 4, 7, 8), acoustic guitar (1, 2, 4-7, 9), acoustic piano (8)
• Don Grolnick – acoustic piano (1, 4), electric piano (3, 5)
• Andrew Gold – electric piano (2), electric guitar (6, 7), percussion (6), backing vocals (6)
• Garth Hudson – accordion (9)
• Dan Dugmore – electric guitar (1, 4)
• Waddy Wachtel – electric guitar (1, 4, 6, 7)
• Danny Kortchmar – electric guitar (2, 8)
• David Lindley – acoustic guitar (5)
• Ed Black – electric guitar (8)
• James Taylor – acoustic guitar (9), backing vocals (9)
• Kenny Edwards – bass guitar (1, 2, 4-9), backing vocals (1, 6, 8)
• Russ Kunkel – drums (1, 4, 5)
• Rick Marotta – drums (2, 6-8)
• Steve Forman – percussion (1, 7)
• David Campbell – string arrangements and conductor
• Don Henley – backing vocals (2)
• JD Souther – backing vocals (2, 9)
• Jackie DeShannon – backing vocals (4)
• Wendy Waldman – backing vocals (7)

Production

• Kenny Edwards – producer
• Greg Ladanyi – recording, mixing
• Jim Nipar – recording
• Ernie Sheesley – assistant engineer
• Bernie Grundman – mastering at A&M Studios (Hollywood, California)
• Melanie McDowell – production assistant
• John Kosh – art direction, design
• Aaron Rapoport – photography

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (1995). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Albums, 3rd Edition, p. 41. Billboard Books, New York. ISBN 0-8230-7631-8
2. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 42. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
3. Restless Nights at AllMusic
4. Shewey, Don. "Restless Nights", Rolling Stone, December 13, 1979, p. 86.
5. Rockwell, John (7 Sep 1979). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. p. C19.