Much like our ‘Retro Rewind’ and ‘From the Vault’ segments, readers of That Grape Juice know what avid music lovers we are – especially of hits past. So in a quest to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday we introduced a new retrospective segment – ‘TGJ Replay’.
Unlike its ‘Rewind’ and ‘Vault’ predecessors, ‘Replay’ looks to dust off and showcase albums (and eras) from a library of pop music hits. Today’s conspectus comes from the Queen of Quiet Storm – Anita Baker.
The singer’s sophomore album ‘Rapture’ thrust her into the stratosphere of 80s prime R&B and made her the forerunner of a new movement for the genre:
After earning moderate buzz for her 1983 debut solo album ‘The Songstress’ (featuring hits ‘Angel’, ‘You’re the Best Thing Yet’, and ‘No More Tears’), Baker was determined to continue forging a career sans-Chapter 8 (her first group). What became of that new chapter in the young singer’s life was 1986′s ‘Rapture’ – an otherworldly blend of contemporary jazz with modern R&B stylings…
*Caught Up In the Rapture*
As evidenced by hits ‘You Bring Me Joy’ and ‘No One In the World’, the album’s sonic packaging was only accented by Anita’s unmatched, supple alto that soared from low to high with awe-inspiring crescendos…
*No One In the World*
She was indeed ‘the best thing yet’, catching fans up in a musical rapture unlike any they’d heard prior. The album would go on to spawn the singer’s most memorable hits ‘Caught Up In the Rapture’, ‘Same Ole Love’, and, of course, her signature smash ‘Sweet Love’…
This was the album that indeed made Baker a household name – earning her two Grammys (beating the likes of Janet Jackson, Aretha Franklin, and Patti Labelle for the honors), selling nearly 10 million copies to date, and 20 years later, landing in the top 40 of Rolling Stones’ ’100 Greatest Albums of the 80s’.
While we anxiously await Baker’s forthcoming album ‘Only Forever’ due this year, we tip our hats to ‘Rapture’ – the game changing R&B collection from the Queen of Quiet Storm. An album that arguably open doors for the likes of Mary J. Blige, Toni Braxton, and other divas who dared to infuse their R&B offerings with jazz or get low in a way that should matter most - vocally.
14 COMMENTS
King B>Rihanna
February 26, 2013 at 10:59 am
YES NOW THIS IS MY TYPE OF MUSIC.
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Don't_Start_No_Shit
February 26, 2013 at 1:20 pm
YAASSSS!!!! I LOVE ME SOME ANITA B.!!!
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Andy
February 26, 2013 at 11:04 am
LOL. @TGJ…
It’s called “Jazz Music” and “Jazz Singing”.
Listen to any Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaugh, Billie Holliday and Mel Tormeq song and you will hear the exact same style.
Ya’ll are tryna sounds so deep!!!
LOVE ANITA.
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king z
February 26, 2013 at 11:25 am
yes, everyone knows that anita did straight up jazz on some songs post-”Rapture”, but on the rapture album and before it, she sang R&B tunes with jazz influence.
just like alot of black singers today sing R&B infused pop or pop infused R&B. when the style of singing/music has multiple genre types in it, it is not one or the other. It wasn’t “jazz music”, it was R&B AND Jazz
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Beyonce Knowles-Carter
February 26, 2013 at 11:09 am
Yesssss Anita darling! My fav! “Sweet Love” is the best song EVER!
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Blue Ivy
February 26, 2013 at 11:26 am
anita is alright i guess, but we all know Beyonce sang Sweet Love muuuuuch better
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MUSICHEAD
February 26, 2013 at 12:59 pm
If you don’t sit yo ass down somewhere…(pulls out my belt)
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BEYFLOP WILL NEVER BE AN ICON OR LEGEND
February 26, 2013 at 11:40 am
That whole album was awsome!!! Its so hard to choose but if i i have to rapture of love is my fave!! Anita is so underrated its a shame!!
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MUSICHEAD
February 26, 2013 at 1:02 pm
Lady Anita is the Queen of Quiet Storm music. Some of y’all were probably made to an Anita Baker song in the backseat of somebody’s caddy lol.
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King Jeoffrey Of House Baratheon and Lannister King of the Andals, Rhoynar, and the First Men
February 26, 2013 at 1:14 pm
People sure look better now in days then back then. It’s funny to see all those great voices and to have Janet Jackson weak vocals lumped in with those much more talented vocalists. If Janet can get away with whispering Rihanna get away with her bleating.
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nick
February 26, 2013 at 1:14 pm
yes lord yes lord!!!!!
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Jeoffrey Baratheon
February 26, 2013 at 1:17 pm
I forgot to say that I love Anita Bakers rapture. It was rap music that killed R&B when u think about. Mariah and Whitbey went urban and killed the reign of vocals leading music. Now production is the bigger make or break not the singers skill.
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Don't_Start_No_Shit
February 26, 2013 at 1:43 pm
I love Anita Baker!! Her music is timeless!!!!
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MelyB
February 26, 2013 at 9:18 pm
YES! This is from the era when the artists, writers & producers collaborated to make a complete album. All of Ms. Baker’s albums stay on my mp3 – love Anita!
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