Closer To You

Continuing down that path of amazing songs and even more incredible voices I bring to you the one and only Cassandra Wilson and the simmering song entitled “Closer To You”. Again if you haven’t heard of Cassandra before then that must have been one hell of a big rock you were living under since she’s one of the preeminent female jazz vocalists of the day. She may not be a household name either but in the jazz community Cassandra Wilson is a towering talent.

The closest she ever came to mainstream success was when she was on the “love jones” soundtrack with her song “You Move Me”. Blessed with am voice that’s as deep and as raspy as they come without being scratchy and annoying Cassandra’s voice is like a mug of hot chocolate on a winter’s day. It wraps itself around you and doesn’t let go even once the song is finished because you can’t get it out of your head.

She uses that voice to perfection on “Closer To You” off of her “Thunderbird” CD. It’s funkier than you would expect from a jazz vocalist but this just shows that Cassandra can do more than jazz. The song starts out very easy with a subtle piano intro and then the beat kicks in. It’s almost a hip hop beat, the bassline dominates nicely and is the perfect companion to her husky voice. She comes in with “How loud a whisper can get / When you’re walking through a crowded space / I hear every word that you say / I remember that every day / I get a little bit closer to you”.

It’s a song of yearning though that doesn’t really come across until the bridge comes in and the song goes from good to great. The arrangement is top notch and the musicianship is as tight as a drum. You may not have heard of Cassandra Wilson or you may have known of her but wasn’t a fan but this song may just change all of that.

Take a listen and see if you agree with me….