February is celebrated as Reggae Month. It also recognizes Black History Month in many parts of the world. The month is also one for love as Valentine’s Day is celebrated. For today’s Oldies Sunday selection, we celebrate a Black Man who created a love song in the name of Reggae. His name is Maxi Priest, and we check out “Close To You“.
Produced by Handel Tucker, Geoffrey Chung, and Sly Dunbar, Maxi Priest’s “Close To You” was released in 1990 through Charisma Records. The song finds Priest being completely smitten by a girl who may seem like trouble. Regardless, but he is eager to be close to her, catering to her every need. The Reggae Fusion track featured smooth vocals by Priest backed by a production that was sure to captivate your entire being. “Close To You” was an instant hit for Maxi Priest, it scored a #1 slot on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and top 10 placements in the UK, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, and various countries in Europe. The single also went Gold in Sweden and Australia. “Close To You” was featured on Priest’s 5th studio album, the Gold-selling “Bonafide“. With the catchy hook, it quickly became a mainstay for R&B mixtape lovers, especially for couples during the Valentine’s season. “Close To You” was covered by the likes of Origene, B3, Pachanga, Jay Delano, and The Uptown Band. The song was sampled by the likes of Jay Sean, Eric B & Rakim, and Tony Sunshine.
Since the release of “Close To You”, Maxi Priest went on to have a successful career in the 1990s. He is still an active Artist, having secured GRAMMY nominations over the years, and is still celebrated worldwide as one of the most successful Reggae Fusion Artists Internationally. “Close To You” will be remembered as one of his most recognized singles, and one to keep in rotation for Valentine’s Day.
THANK YOU MAXI PRIEST FOR THIS CLASSIC!
Check out the original music video for “Close To You” along with the newer version below, and share with a friend. Show us some love/follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @13thStreetPromo.
Continue reading “OLDIES SUNDAY: @MaxiPriest – Close To You (1990)”
With a career spanning over 30 years, Maxi Priest was one of acts who had a brilliant run with fusing Reggae Music with R&B. Tonight on a special edition of Onstage, Winford Williams had a chat with the artist. Here he spoke on his upbringing in the UK, his love for music and his influences, challenges he has faced growing up and during the start of his career, how his first hit came about and being the first British Reggae act to score a #1 in the US, stardom locally and internationally, and many more. Great interview here as we get to look at Maxi’s background and journey through his extensive career. He also premiered a new music video for his “Easy To Love” single. Such a great artist. Check out the videos below and share your thoughts in the comments section.