Saturday, May 16, 2020

Under The Influence: The Closer You Get



Ever seen those musician trees that show this one band and how it's connected via a branch to this other band, someone from that band left and formed another band and another forming a cluster within a genre?  Well, I see my musical inspirations in clusters.  My appreciation and love for Country music started right here with Alabama's 1983 album, The Closer You Get.  Without it, I don't know if my passion for deep emotional songwriting, group harmonies and a hint of twang would be where it is.  Willie Nelson, Restless Heart, The Zac Brown Band, Exile, Lonestar and so many others would just be names.

How could you not get lost in a song like "Dixieland Delight?"  It saunters along starting simple, adding layers and layers, then picks up its pace until it's a gallop and becomes a party.  Then there are songs like "She Put The Sad In All Of His Songs" and "Lady Down On Love" that play the heartstrings expertly.  The pacing and production of the title track also was a perfect song to lure me over from the Pop and Rock side of things.  There are some great moments on the album which is why I do have to credit The Closer You Get for being that bridge that led me to Nashville...and Alabama.  As a matter of fact, I was lucky enough to be in attendance at their performance in Las Vegas on October 10, 1998, which was filmed for the live DVD, 41 Number One Hits.

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