closer

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Mark H. (UK):

"If your already an Imagination fan, you'd better prepare yourself : this is unlike anything you've ever heard before ; and if you've never been a fan, listen to their album with new ears! It is, quite simply, excellent..." BLUES&SOUL, issue 491.

THE above quote is an excerpt from BLUES&SOUL magazine and the jounalist was reviewing IMAGINATION's new offering "CLOSER".It just about sums up my feelings towards the bands fith and penultimate work involving the original line-up of Leee John,Ashley Ingram and Errol Kennedy.
Whilst not boasting any "classics" that the trio are famous for from the preceeding albums,"CLOSER" differed in that it did'nt stick to just one sound throughout.It was a collection of very diverse material ranging from strong uptempo cuts like "I KNOW WHAT LOVE IS",the jazz influences on WHERE ARE YOU NOW" and "SKINTIME" and the delicious,haunting "THE LAST TIME".
I have to admit to a little bias here as "THE LAST TIME"is my all time favourite recording by the group-it simply oozes class!Produced by Nick Martinelli-who also delivers on"I KNOW WHAT LOVE IS"-the track also features a strong and very memorable contribution from Mr Kenny G. on sax.
For this album Imagination had spent a few months stateside prior to recording just writing material and it certainly paid-off. Newly signed to the RCA label, a new approach was used in that multiple producers would bring their talents to the sound that was Imagination.
such respected names as Preston Glass,Arthur Baker,Randy Goodrum and the previously mentioned Nick Martinelli all contributed to an album which took a lot of people by surprise in its content and approach.
The band had long wanted to release a record that would not only be their best,but also fulfill a long held dream to make people sit up and acknowledge their musical abilities.
this album prooved that Imagination had come of age.This was Leee,Ashley and Errol at their best.
I have so many of my favourite Imagination songs here.Some serious singing by Leee on "WHERE ARE YOU NOW","SKINTIME" and"OVER" only re-inforce my view that he is without doubt the U.K.'s top- and most underated-soul vocalist.
"HOT NIGHTS" in a way is a throw-back to sounds past and would not look out of place on the "HEAT OF..." and "SCANDALOUS"albums.Together with the title track ,these two numbers are ideal for those night time get-togethers with your partner-Imagination style!
Also featured is the catchy"HOLD ME IN YOUR ARMS"and the original Arthur Baker mix of "INSTICTUAL",which was to storm the U.K. clubscene in a house-mix.It also reached NO:1 in the U.S. billboard dance charts in another mix.
The remaining tracks,"WHO(TELL ME WHO)"and "FOR MEMBERS ONLY" are instant toe-tappers,while "PARONOIA" is one of those numbers that has a hook to it that you just can't shake off.
So overall, a great offering from our three heroes.Imagination may never re-appear in their original line-up agin,but if they do-and we all live in hope they do someday-they'll have to go some to beat this-the ultimate Imagination album.

THE DEDICATED LEEEJOHNAIRE.

KEEP THE FAITH..............

Troy-D (USA): After a three year absence in the U.S., Imagination reappeared with a new album on yet another different label. At the time, it had me wondering what was going on because they only had one album on Elektra. Their new RCA album was very different from what I had grown to expect from this group. The first single released was the smooth R&B song 'The Last Time'. The song was very good but it sounded very little like Imagination. After buying the record, I realized it was because of the heavy American (Producers) influence. I guess RCA wanted to 'Americanize' their sound. The product was good but it lessened the group to sounding like everything else in American R&B in 1987. Immediately I was attracted to 'Hold me in your arms'. It was the only song that was reminiscent of the old Imagination sound on the record. The song is a light-hearted commercial R&B song, like featured on 'Trilogy'. To my surprise, the next U.S. single was 'Instinctual'. This song is a total electronic funk/dance song (Drum machines and synths with an under-mixed guitar). For the single, it was revamped to sound like every other house-club song at the time. Even at the risk of being out-of-key with Leee's pre-recorded vocals. But it worked, and was a hit in the U.S.. The third single was 'Hold me in your arms', which didn't fare as well on the charts. All the mid-tempo and slow songs like 'Where are you now', 'Skin Time','Over' and 'Hot Nights' are very good R&B songs. The title song is good but a little too much like American pop-ballads (like 'Man in the mirror'). The songs 'Who' and 'I know what love is' (a European single) are good up-tempo songs. The CD contains two more very good songs 'Operator' and 'Touch' (which was produced solely by Imagination). If you like R&B music, you can't help but appreciate this album. But if you're only looking for Imagination, you might be a little disappointed.