Anita Baker
Anita Baker is an eight-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, widely celebrated as the "Queen of Quiet Storm" for her rich contralto voice and sophisticated blend of soul, R&B, and jazz. Born Anita Denise Baker on January 26, 1958, in Toledo, Ohio, and abandoned by her birth mother at age two, she was raised by foster parents in Detroit. After her foster parents passed away when she was 12, she was raised by her foster sister, Lois Landry.
She began singing in gospel choirs and performing in Detroit nightclubs by age 16. In 1975, she joined the funk band Chapter 8. They released a self-titled album in 1979 featuring the hit "I Just Want to Be Your Girl". The group was later dropped by Arista Records, with executives famously claiming Baker lacked "star potential".
After a brief hiatus working as a receptionist, she signed with Beverly Glen Records and released her debut solo album, The Songstress (1983), which included the R&B hit "Angel". Her 1986 album, Rapture, catapulted her to international stardom. It sold over 8 million copies and featured the iconic single "Sweet Love". She followed this with the #1 album Giving You the Best That I Got (1988) and the jazz-influenced Compositions (1990).
Baker married Walter Bridgforth Jr. in 1988; they have two sons, Walter and Edward. The couple divorced in 2007. She frequently took extended breaks from the industry to focus on motherhood and family, most notably between 1994 and 2004.
She has earned eight Grammy Awards and multiple American Music and Soul Train Awards. In 2018, she received the BET Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2021, Baker won a high-profile legal battle against her former label to reclaim ownership of her master recordings.
She was ranked #92 on Rolling Stone’s 200 Greatest Singers of All Time in 2023. As of 2025, she remains an active performer, recently completing her 40th-anniversary "Songstress Tour".
Compositions
Written-By – Anita Baker, Michael Powell*, Vernon Fails
5:03
2 Perfect Love Affair
Written-By – Anita Baker, Joel Davis
5:19
3 Whatever It Takes
Written-By – Anita Baker, Gerald Levert, Marc Gordon
5:35
4 Soul Inspiration
Written-By – Graham Lyle, Terry Britten
5:17
5 Lonely
Written-By – Anita Baker
4:29
6 No One To Blame
Written-By – Anita Baker, Vernon Fails
4:41
7 More Than You Know
Written-By – Anita Baker, Michael Powell*, Vernon Fails
4:48
8 Love You To The Letter
Written-By – James McBride
7:20
9 Fairy Tales
Written-By – Anita Baker, Michael Powell*, Vernon Fails
7:55
Label: Elektra – 9 60922-2
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1990
Genre: Jazz, Funk, Soul
Style: Smooth Jazz, Downtempo, Soul
Giving You The Best That I Got
Written-By – Garry Glenn
4:47
A2 Lead Me Into Love
Written-By – Larry Prentiss, Steve Lane
4:44
A3 Giving You The Best That I Got
Written-By – Anita Baker, Randy Holland, Skip Scarborough
4:18
A4 Good Love
Written-By – Gary Taylor
5:38
B1 Rules
Written-By – Graham Lamb, Maggie Ryder, Phil Nicholl
3:50
B2 Good Enough
Written-By – Anita Baker, James McBride
4:47
B3 Just Because
Written-By – Alex Brown, Michael O'Hara, Sammy McKinney*
5:09
B4 You Belong To Me
Written-By – Billy Livsey, Graham Lyle, Terry Britten
3:50
Label: Elektra – 60827-1
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1988
Genre: R&B Jazz, Funk, Soul
Style: Smooth Jazz, Soul, Contemporary R&B
My Everything
Written-By – A. Baker, C. Boone, E. Ridgeway, G. Ridgeway, G. Ridgeway
5:02
2 How Could You
Written-By – A. Baker, B. Eastmond
4:21
3 In My Heart
Written-By – A. Baker, B. Eastmond
5:06
4 Serious
Written-By – Dawn Thomas
5:25
5 How Does It Feel
Written-By – A. Baker, B. Eastmond
4:42
6 Like You Used To Do
Written-By – A. Baker, Babyface, B. Eastmond
5:11
7 Close Your Eyes
Written-By – A. Baker, B. Eastmond
4:42
8 You're My Everything (Revisited)
1:12
9 I Can't Sleep
Written-By – A. Baker, J. Haslip, L. Perry, R. Ferrante, W. Kennedy
5:08
10 Men In My Life
Written-By – Anita Baker
3:36
Label: Blue Note – 7243 5 77103 2 9
Format: CD, Album
Country: Europe
Released: 2004
Genre: R&B Jazz, Funk, Soul
Style: Soul-Jazz, Smooth Jazz, Soul
Rapture
Written-By – Baker, Bias, Johnson
4:26
A2 You Bring Me Joy
Written-By – David Lasley
4:24
A3 Caught Up In The Rapture
Written-By – Quander, Glenn
5:07
A4 Been So Long
Written-By – Anita Baker
5:07
B1 Mystery
Written-By – Rod Temperton
4:56
B2 No One In The World
Written-By – Hirsch, Sharron
4:10
B3 Same Ole Love
Written-By – Roberts, McLeod
4:05
B4 Watch Your Step
Written-By – Anita Baker
4:54
Label: Elektra – 9 60444-1
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1986
Genre: R&B Soul
Style: Eighties Soul
Rhythm Of Love
Written-By – Anita Baker, Patrick Moten
5:50
2 The Look Of Love
Lyrics By – Hal David
4:47
3 Body And Soul
Written-By – Ellen Shipley, Rick Nowels
5:42
4 Baby
Lyrics By, Music By – Anita Baker
4:25
5 I Apologize
Written-By – Anita Baker, Barry J. Eastmond*, Gordon Chambers
5:09
6 Plenty Of Room
Lyrics By, Music By – Anita Baker
4:57
7 It's Been You
Written-By – Mary Unobsky, Michael O'Hara, Sami McKinney
4:59
8 You Belong To Me
Written-By – Carly Simon, Michael McDonald
4:41
9 Wrong Man
Lyrics By, Music By – Anita Baker
5:51
10 Only For A While
Written-By – Dawn Thomas
5:16
11 Sometimes I Wonder Why
Written-By – Mack David, Mike Reid
4:37
12 My Funny Valentine
Written-By – Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart*
5:06
Label: Elektra – 7559-61555-2
Format: CD, Album
Country: Europe
Released: 1994
Genre: R&B Jazz, Funk, Soul
Style: Smooth Jazz, Soul
The Songstress
Written-By – Patrick Moten, Sandra Sully 4:59
A2 You're The Best Thing Yet
Written-By – Geronne C. Turner, Patrick Moten 5:32
A3 Feel The Need
Written-By – Patrick Moten 5:35
A4 Squeeze Me
Written-By – Patrick Moten 4:37
B1 No More Tears
Written-By – Michael Powell 5:52
B2 Sometimes
Written-By – Patrick Moten, Sandra Sully 5:52
B3 Will You Be Mine
Written-By – Carlos Turrentine, Patrick Moten 5:26
B4 Do You Believe Me
Written-By – Patrick Moten 3:54
Label: Beverly Glen Music – BG10002
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1983
Genre: R&B Soul, Jazz
Style: Eighties Soul, Downtempo
The Songstress is the debut solo album by American R&B/soul singer Anita Baker, originally released in 1983 on Beverly Glen Music. It established her signature "quiet storm" sound, characterized by a smooth, sophisticated, and jazzy blend of soul and gospel influences.
The album was a deliberate departure from the prevailing trends of overly synthesized funk and disco music of the early 1980s. Instead, it featured a more organic, live band sound with a focus on heartfelt ballads and a mature, adult contemporary R&B style.
It prominently showcases Baker's powerful, deep, and silky smooth three-octave contralto vocal range, which critics praised for its emotional delivery and control.
The music blends traditional soul with significant jazz and gospel touches, defining the sophisticated sound that would make her famous.
The majority of the tracks were produced and written by Patrick Moten. The arrangements included a mix of smooth grooves and introspective ballads.
Elektra Records acquired the rights to the album and re-released it in 1991 to a wider audience after Baker achieved fame.
The album features several tracks that became R&B hits:- "Angel": A smash hit that reached number five on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart; "No More Tears": Another successful single, peaking at number 49 on the R&B chart; "You're the Best Thing Yet": Reached number 28 on the R&B chart.
While not the massive commercial success of her follow-up, multi-platinum album Rapture (1986), The Songstress was a moderate success on the R&B charts and it helped define the quiet storm genre and laid the groundwork for her later international stardom.
The Songstress is considered essential listening for Anita Baker fans and aficionados of heartfelt soul ballads and quiet storm R&B. Though some general reviews find certain tracks a bit uneven or not as memorable as her later hits, the album is widely appreciated for its display of the raw talent that would soon make her a superstar.
The Very Best Of Anita Baker--Sweet Love
Written-By – Dianne Quander, Garry Glenn
4:12
2 Giving You The Best That I Got (Single Version)
Written-By – Anita Baker, Randy Holland, Skip Scarborough
3:54
3 Sweet Love
Written-By – Anita Baker, Gary Bias, Louis A. Johnson
4:24
4 Body And Soul (Radio Edit)
Written-By – Ellen Shipley, Rick Nowels
3:57
5 Just Because (Single Version)
Written-By – Alex Brown, Michael O'Hara, Sami McKinney
4:21
6 I Apologize (Single Version)
Written-By – Anita Baker, Barry J. Eastmond, Gordon Chambers
4:16
7 Rhythm Of Love
Written-By – Anita Baker, Patrick Moten
5:50
8 Soul Inspiration (Single Version)
Written-By – Graham Lyle, Terry Britten
4:01
9 Lead Me Into Love (Single Version)
Written-By – Larry Prentiss, Steve Lane
4:07
10 Angel (Single Version)
Written-By – Anita Baker, Patrick Moten, Sandra Sully
4:28
11 Same Ole Love (365 Days A Year)
Written-By – Darryl K. Roberts, Marilyn McLeod
4:04
12 Fairy Tales (Edit)
Written-By – Anita Baker, Michael Powell, Vernon Fails
4:16
13 Talk To Me (Single Version)
Written-By – Anita Baker, Michael Powell, Vernon Fails
3:54
14 Good Enough (Single Version)
Written-By – Anita Baker, James McBride
3:59
15 No More Tears
Written-By – Michael Powell
5:40
16 When You Love Someone
Featuring – James Ingram
Written-By – Anita Baker, Carol Bayer Sager, Marc Shaiman
4:10
17 You Bring Me Joy
Written-By – David Lasley
4:25
18 No One In The World
Written-By – Ken Hirsch, Marti Sharron
4:07
Label: Atlantic – 8122 73603 2
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: Europe
Released: 2002
Genre: R&B Funk, Soul
Style: Downtempo, Soul