Closer marks the 3 rd album of wholly original material from Belgian dance outfit Milk Inc. ( www.milkinc.be). In existence since about 1998, Milk Inc. has generated five full releases (two of which are varying combos of their first two albums) and a few best of's. On a CD so packed with trance, the challenge is to make the tracks interesting enough so as to not all sound alike, which didn't happen here. The music is strong, but the vocals could use more effects and stacking, and dropping a few of the weaker tracks would have made for a more compelling project.
On the upside, if you want trance, Milk Inc. delivers... 12 trance tracks, 2 ballads, 1 breakbeat cut, plus 3 remixes. Highlights include "Time" and "I Don't Care" (featuring Silvy De Bie on vocals-- a nice break from Linda's vocal) for their catchy lyrics and melody. Also, "Shine On"'s near sample of the percussion from Janet's "Black Cat" is blended into the programming making it an appealing change-of-pace track. Finally, the Vandoren remix of "The Sun Always Shines On TV" fares better than the album or extended versions since it excludes elements from the A-Ha original the other two include. Lasgo, Fragma, or Ian Van Dahl fans will enjoy the vocal trance of this group, and the album is available domestically via Water Music.
