**This album was originally released in 1983. It was digitally remastered and re-released in 1991.
I became aware of Anita Baker when I was 14. “Sweet Love” was getting lots of airplay and being a radio head growing up in New Jersey, I couldn’t avoid this classic if I tried. It was one of those songs that you knew wasn’t meant for you as a 14 year old boy entering adolescence, but for some reason you knew all the words anyway. But it isn’t really the words or melody that remain with me today. Sure, the chorus I’ll never get out of my head, but it was the voice. The voice and the way it rode the melody across sedated lows and piercing climaxes of emotion that made the song truly special.
Now, I’m the type of music lover who wants to know what a performer’s first sounds were like, so that as I get to know subsequent recordings I understand where they came from, where they’re going. “Sweet Love” appears on ‘Rapture’, Baker’s second album - the one that really put her on the map as a star. So, naturally when my friend vemartin suggested we review Anita Baker for the Music Review Jam, my musical curiosity led me to try and answer the question, “What was Anita Baker doing prior to ‘Rapture’?” “What prepared her for being such a hit?” The answer lies within this review and her appropriately titled first album, ‘The Songstress’.
I slip the CD into my player and immediately I am sent reeling back to the early ‘80s. It almost feels like the ‘70s, but not quite. Flashes of accompanying my mom and sister on their trip to Hit or Miss in our VW bug convertible. I had no idea how strong an impression Anita Baker’s voice had on me, because as the first track “Angel” begins, I know exactly who it is despite not having listened to any of her music in years or being that familiar with her body of work. It’s a smooth as silk, dreamy, arrangement (the only one on the album partly written by Baker) that lulls me into believing that there’s a beautiful ghost in my stereo hypnotizing me, “You’re my Angel”, over and over again. Her voice is unbelievable in its depth and softness. It is such a welcome change from the many pop voices of today that, while gifted, fall short of being able to actually communicate true emotion through melody & lyrics. She has a woman’s voice, not a girl’s voice. It’s reassuring. It’s comforting. Makes me want to close my eyes and feel safe doing so.
At this point, after 4:57 into it, I say to myself, “If the album were to stay this delicate I would be very happy. If it didn’t, but somehow found a way to allow her voice to keep center stage I’d also be happy. If for some reason the rest of the songs diverge from a focus on the sensuous, I’ll be a bit disappointed.” Thankfully, the latter was not the case. Nor did it sustain the euphoria initiated on ‘Angel’. It ended up being a good mixture of spellbinding ballads [‘You’re The Best Thing Yet’, ‘No More Tears’ (the first single on the album), & ‘Sometimes’], solid mid-tempo soul [‘Feel The Need, ‘Will You Be Mine’], and a couple attempts to funk it up [‘Squeeze Me’ & ‘Do You Believe In Me’]. In fact, the album is paced amazingly well. From track 1 to 4 you’re taken through the range from ballad to jam almost seamlessly, then from track 5 to 8 the same. Worked for the LP, works for the CD.
Patrick Moten’s vocal and rhythm arrangements provide a fantastic framework within which Baker’s voice maneuvers most gracefully, almost always perfectly imparting the intended heart wrenching emotion or pacific sentimentality that most of the songs require. However, in moments during ‘Squeeze Me’ and ‘Do You Believe Me’ when the vocals/lyrics assume a power position to keep up with the groove, it comes across as slightly forced, and consequently a less convincing interpretation. That does by no means imply that these songs don’t work, because they do. ‘Squeeze Me’ brings the funk while ‘Do You Believe Me’ shows us Baker’s gospel influences, both of which are welcome additions to her Quiet Storm-esque grooves on other tracks.
All in all, this is a phenomenal album that, while under recognized at the time by popular audiences, initiated the career of a pop R&B/Soul pioneer and legend who blew up 3 years later with the release of ‘Rapture’. If you were into the smooth R&B sound of the late ‘70s, or really enjoy jazz and gospel influenced R&B/Soul, then this is a great album for you. However, if you’re only looking to buy one Anita Baker album, you may want to check out ‘Rapture’ before making a decision.
**THIS review was written as a part of the first Music Expert Review Jam, along with reviews by the following experts. Check out their music reviews posted on 5/24/2000 @ 7:30pm PCT.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.