and Babyface was in charge of the bass and keyboards. Musically, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" has been described as a new jack swing song with pop and R&B influences that "marries the call-and-response of the black church with the percussiveness of dance music". According to Stereogums Tom Breihan, it was composed to "showcase" Houston's vocals but, unlike her past songs, it doesn't build up toward one "massive howled-out money-note". It is written in the key of A minor, with a tempo of 110 beats per minute in compound quadruple meter ( time); it counts with a chord progression of Am9Fmaj7Bm75E7susE7, with Houston's vocals spanning from C4 to A5. Lyrically, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" marked a departure from Houston's previous work, as it talks about sexual desire: Whatever you want from me/I'm giving you everything/I'm your baby tonight, she sings on the refrain. Other lines include I can do anything for you, baby/ I'll be down for you, baby/ Lay all my cards out tonight/ Just call on me, baby, which are sung with "raw" vocals and an "ecstatic sense of need"; Breihan held that it is the word tonight that does "a lot of work [as] it lets us know that this is a temporary arrangement". In Australia and most European countries, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" was released as the album's lead single on September 28, 1990; in the United States, the release date was October 2. Critical reception Upon release, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" was met with generally positive reviews from critics: author Gerrick Kennedy referred to it as a "sassy [...] fiery track with a throbbing kick [...] bursting with the sort of brash hip-hop energy" that would go on to become a staple of Houston's future work. Rolling Stones James Hunter singled out Houston's vocals; "L.A. and BabyFace have led her into new, less formal territory, where she sheds her gowns, swings and sounds confident, rhythmically challenged and very much at home". Larry Flick from Billboard praised the singer's "relaxed and soulful performance". Another positive review came from the staff of Music & Media, who called the song a "sure hit" and applauded its "moody dance beat" and usage of piano, which "form[s] the basis for La Houston's chilling vocals". Breihan wrote that, despite the hooks not being "as hard" as those of her previous singles "How Will I Know" (1985) and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody