Keys to the City (Ramsey Lewis album)

Keys to the City is a studio album by American jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis, released in May 1987 on Columbia Records. The album peaked at #22 on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart and #11 on the Cashbox Jazz Albums chart.

Background

Keys to the City was recorded at E & S Studios in Los Angeles, California; Home Sweet Home Studio in Evanston, Illinois; and Streeterville Studios in Chicago, Illinois.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
The Rolling Stone Album Guide

Frank White of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted that Lewis "lets the fire roar to the surface."

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Keys to the City"	Larry Dunn, Ramsey Lewis	5:57
2.	"You're Falling in Love"	Brenda Blonski, Morris (Butch) Stewart	5:17
3.	"7-11"	Maurice White, Robyn Smith	4:14
4.	"Strangers"	Chris Brunt, Larry Dunn, Luisa Justiz	4:48
5.	"My Love Will Lead You Home"	Morris (Butch) Stewart	6:15
6.	"Melody of Life"	Chris Brunt, Larry Dunn, Luisa Justiz	6:08
7.	"Shamballa"	Maurice White, Robyn Smith	4:11
8.	"Love and Understanding"	Larry Dunn, Luisa Justiz	4:56

Personnel

Ramsey Lewis - DX-7, Piano
Roland Bautista - Guitar
Tony Brown - Bass
Chris Brunt - Drums, Percussion
Chris Cameron - Synthesizer
Larry Dunn - Bass, Drums, Keyboards, Percussion
Steven Dunn - Drums, Percussion
Byron Gregory - Electric guitar
Luisa Justiz - Vocals
Brenda Mitchell-Stewart - Background vocals
Don Myrick - Saxophone
Joe Pusteri - Percussion
Bill Ruppert - Electric guitar
Robyn Smith - Drum Programming, Percussion, Synthesizer
Morris Stewart - Synthesizer, Background vocals
Wayne Stewart - Drums
Maurice White - Percussion

Charts

Year	Chart	Peak
1987	US Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums	22
1987	US Cashbox Jazz Albums	11

References

^ Ramsey Lewis: Keys To The City. Columbia Records. May 1987.
^ "Ramsey Lewis: Keys To The City (Top Contemporary Jazz Albums)". billboard.com. Billboard.
^ "Top Jazz Albums". archive.org. Vol. 51, no. 8. Cashbox Magazine. August 29, 1987. p. 15.
Ramsey Lewis: Keys to the City at AllMusic. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 424.
White, Frank (May 23, 1987). "Ramsey Lewis: Keys to the City". newspapers.com. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 161.

v t e Ramsey Lewis
Studio albums	Ramsey Lewis and his Gentle-men of Swing (1956) Ramsey Lewis and his Gentle-men of Jazz (1958) Lem Winchester and the Ramsey Lewis Trio (1958) Down to Earth (1959) An Hour with the Ramsey Lewis Trio (1959) Stretching Out (1960) More Music from the Soil (1961) Never on Sunday (1961) Sound of Christmas (1961) The Sound of Spring (1962) Country Meets the Blues (1962) Bossa Nova (1962) Pot Luck (1963) Barefoot Sunday Blues (1963) Bach to the Blues (1964) More Sounds of Christmas (1964) You Better Believe Me (1964) Wade in the Water (1966) The Movie Album (1966) Goin' Latin (1967) Up Pops Ramsey Lewis (1967) Maiden Voyage (1968) Mother Nature's Son (1968) Another Voyage (1969) The Piano Player (1969) Back to the Roots (1971) Upendo Ni Pamoja (1972) Funky Serenity (1973) Ramsey Lewis' Newly Recorded All-Time Non-Stop Golden Hits (1973) Solar Wind (1974) Sun Goddess (1974) Don't It Feel Good (1975) Salongo (1976) Love Notes (1977) Tequila Mockingbird (1977) Legacy (1978) Routes (1980) Chance Encounter (1982) Les Fleurs (1983) The Two of Us (1984) Fantasy (1985) Keys to the City (1987) We Meet Again (1989) Ivory Pyramid (1992) Sky Islands (1993) Urban Knights I (1994) Urban Knights II (1997) Appassionata (1999)
Live albums	The Ramsey Lewis Trio in Chicago (1960) The Ramsey Lewis Trio at the Bohemian Caverns (1964) The In Crowd (1965) Hang On Ramsey! (1965) Dancing in the Street (1967) Them Changes (1970) The Groover (1972)
Singles	"The 'In' Crowd" "Hang On Sloopy" "Wade in the Water" "Sun Goddess"

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