CLOSER TO IT! (AS OBLIVION EXPRESS)

Keyboardist Brian Auger seemed to be endlessly searching for the right musicians to bring forth his musical visions which always seemed to be directed by what others were doing at the time. I just find that there always seems to be that commercial aspect to his albums making most of his records hit and miss for me. I prefer the previous album of his called "Second Wind" as this the followup "Closer To It!" treads that Latin music style that SANTANA just unleashed upon the world called "Caravanserai".

This recording may embrace what Carlos and crew were doing at the time but this pales in a huge way to that legendary album. Mind you to be fair I feel SANTANA also couldn't live up to "Caravanserai" themselves in what they created after that one. So wholesale changes after "Second Wind" leaving only Auger and his bass player. Auger sings here and the new guitarist while trying to emulate Carlos Santana fails in that regard, and the fact they mixed Brian's vocals and the guitarists work low in the mix says a lot.

Again we get covers which Auger loved to do and the highlight for me is Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues" where we even get some brief mellotron. I do like the closer as well that to my ears just sounds good like Gaye's tune. On the other hand we get "Happiness Is Just Around The Corner" with the awful sounding synths as well as "Compared To What" with the bad lyrics. A mixed bag like most Auger records.