Name: Close to You
Brand: MCA
SKU: 7395
Availability: OutOfStock

Performer Notes

Personnel: Father MC (rap vocals); Henry "Hanky" Grate (guitar); Mark C. Rooney (vocals, keyboards); Mark Morales (drum programming); Terri Robinson, Melissa Pierre, Kenneth "G" Greene, Brenda Reid, Danyale Dixon, Clinton "Buddy" Wike, Tiffany Wilson, Jeanette Herndon, Jeff Sanders, Jo Jo Hailey, K-Ci Hailey, Mary J. Blige (background vocals).
Producers: Mark Morales, Mark Rooney, Howie Tee, DJ Eddie F, Dave Hall.
Recorded at: Chung King House Of Metal, Greene Street Studios and Soundtrack Studios, New York, New York; The Playground Studio, Closter, New Jersey.
In the 21st century, rap and R&B are seriously joined at the hip. Urban contemporary singers go out of their way to feature major rappers, and even the most hardcore MCs employ R&B singers on their recordings. But it wasn't always that way. In the '80s, hip-hop encountered a great deal of resistance in R&B circles, and many hardcore rappers wanted nothing to do with R&B. Father MC did his part to change that. Like Whodini, Salt-N-Pepa, the Fresh Prince, Heavy D, and Young MC before him, Father envisioned a style of hip-hop that was commercial, unthreatening, R&B-drenched, and pop-friendly, but not lightweight or bland; arguably, his new jack swing-minded albums of the early '90s were the rap equivalent of Bobby Brown or Keith Sweat. While Close to You is hardly the work of a hip-hop purist, this 1992 release demonstrates that pop-rap can have integrity. Yes, the CD is full of urban contemporary slickness and romantic themes (as opposed to battle rhymes or hard-hitting tales of thug life in the 'hood), but Father's rapping skills are never in doubt; he flows with plenty of confidence, and his East Coast rhyming technique is consistently impressive. Close to You underscores the fact that not all pop-rap is created equal. The rhyming skills of some pop-rappers have been limited at best -- Vanilla Ice immediately comes to mind -- while the more substantial ones (Salt-N-Pepa, the Fresh Prince, Heavy D) have had no problem getting their flow on. Clearly, Father MC falls into the latter category, and his impact was enormous in the early '90s. Father's 1990 debut, Father's Day, is widely regarded as his most important and essential release, but Close to You was a solid, enjoyable follow-up for the Bronx native. ~ Alex Henderson

Album: Close to You
#	Song Title	Time
1)	All I Want
2)	One Night Stand
3)	Close to You
4)	Everything's Gonna Be Alright
5)	Do the One, Two
6)	Red Lace Lingerie
7)	My Body
8)	Ladies, I Luv 'Em
9)	Baby We Can Do I
10)	Go Natalie
11)	On the Road Again

Album: Close to You
#	Song Title	Time
1)	All I Want
2)	One Night Stand
3)	Close to You
4)	Everything's Gonna Be Alright
5)	Do the One, Two
6)	Red Lace Lingerie
7)	My Body
8)	Ladies, I Luv 'Em
9)	Baby We Can Do I
10)	Go Natalie
11)	On the Road Again