"Hot in the Shade" is the fifteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released in 1989. It is the first Kiss studio album since 1981's Music From "The Elder" to feature lead vocals from someone other than Paul Stanley or Gene Simmons, with drummer Eric Carr singing lead on "Little Caesar." This album is also the final Kiss album to feature Carr before his death in November 1991 during the production of the band's next album, Revenge. Unlike its predecessor, 1987's Crazy Nights, Hot in the Shade does not heavily feature keyboards.
The album includes the biggest hit of the band's non-makeup era, the power ballad "Forever," which was co-written by Paul Stanley and Michael Bolton. The single reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1990.
Hot in the Shade showcases a more straightforward sound, moving away from the keyboard-centered pop-metal of Crazy Nights. It contains 15 songs, the most of any Kiss studio album, and has a running time of nearly an hour (58:39). Future band member Tommy Thayer co-wrote two songs: "Betrayed" and "The Street Giveth and the Street Taketh Away."
The album was recorded during the summer of 1989 at the Fortress in Hollywood. Aiming for a more stripped-down sound, Simmons and Stanley decided to record the album there after considering various studios. To achieve a rawer feel and to produce the album with a lower budget, the band opted to use the demos they recorded and polish them via overdubs instead of re-recording the songs.
"Little Caesar" marks Eric Carr's only lead vocal on an original song, although he had previously sung lead on a re-recorded version of "Beth" for the compilation album Smashes, Thrashes & Hits.
The album liner notes thanked a dozen Kiss fan-published magazines that helped fans connect with the band and stay updated on each member's activities. The notes concluded with a warning about the HIV/AIDS epidemic, encouraging fans to use condoms to reduce the risk of transmission, stating, "AIDS is no party."
