I think Kev has a point with the drum machine. When I play to a click, I am right on top of it, but that isn't always the feel you're after.

When playing live, if the tune has a laid back groove, I'll be playing very slightly behind the beat - consistently so I'm still 'in time', but a few ms behind it... I think there has to be balance - you want to be in time, but not too robotic...

That said, some sort of click is essential...