Note: this release was originally purchased as a CD which was either sold, stolen, traded or lost, then replaced by another CD.
I will gladly listen to any Sanborn collaboration with bassist/composer/producer Marcus Miller, but I think this album is the weakest of that bunch. Admittedly, I must be in the minority because the critics liked it and the album won the Grammy award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group Or Soloist). The aggressive synth drums forward in the mix really don't do much for me and have greatly dated the album, unfortunately. So the better tracks are the slower, laid back pieces with a real drummer as opposed to the upbeat funk-lite offerings.
Close-Up was Sanborn's only album released on the Reprise label.
Ratings/reviews:
- Billboard: "return to form"
- CashBox: "Should sell like hotcakes."
- The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★
- The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★
- The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★½
Album chart peaks:
- US Billboard Top 200: #59
- Billboard Top Compact Discs - Pop: #13
- Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz: #1
- Billboard R&B: #38
- CashBox Top 200: #42
- CashBox Jazz: #1
- Rolling Stone: #26
Tracks: My picks are J.T., Lesley Ann, and a tasty cover of the Philly soul classic, You Are Everything. There's a definite lull in the middle of the album that includes a lackluster cover of Randy Newman's Same Girl. As mentioned in the above advertisement, Slam was the lead single. It is one of the aforementioned funk-lite tunes and peaked at #50 on the Billboard R&B singles chart.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None
Previously revisited for the blog:
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