Reviews (page 6 of 8)
That's not my taste in musik. But ok.
This is so typical average sing-song of the eighties. Not my music although one must say, that she is a good singer
Unavailable on spotify
Didn't do much for me, I'm struggling to see what makes it special.
She can sing! Doesn’t make the songwriting better. 2.5/5
Not really my thing.
4.0
In order: Excellent Voice Good Musicianship Decent Production Below-par Songwriting Terrible personal enjoyment
This isn’t music for music’s sake. This is just 33 minutes and 37 seconds of vaguely pleasant background noise for old people to fuck to. I feel like Robert Dimery just walked up to me and handed me a condom and lube and a scented candle and I said, “No thank you Robert Dimery. I do not need these items at this time as I am not about to engage in the physical act of love, rather, I am driving to Lowes to buy a shower arm” and Robert Dimery said, “That’s okay. Just hold this condom and lube and scented candle and - you know - appreciate their beauty as objects” and I said, “No, that’s weird. I don’t want to do that”, but here I am anyway, sitting in the Lowes parking lot listening to an aural geriatric erotic aid.
V soulful, smooth and beautiful voice. Not my typical go-to but I enjoyed this enough. Better for background music for me. I think some of the songs are longer than they need to be and I don’t love the production.
Anita has a fine voice, but the 80s production and sensibility has aged like milk.
Great voice but soulless music
gross
Good soulful R&B album, whitney houston vibes
Ugh this album really did nothing for me. The instrumentation was blah with a lot 80s production. With her beautiful voice it could have been so much more with some 70s soul. Very disappointing.
It’s a classic, consistent album though it’s only 4 songs. “Sweet Love” is the biggest hit and it’s still such a great song.
goes hard tbh, too bad it’s not streaming anywhere
It's not really my jam but side 2 had some jams so it's alright.
An easy listen if not made difficult due to Spotify incompleteness. None of the songs made a lasting impact but I wasn't waiting for them to be over.
smooth as silk...
Once you've listened to this list for a while, you'll welcome any album that you can listen to without damaging your hearing. I think this album is unfairly rated so low. Anita Baker has a very beautiful voice and the songs are well composed and arranged.
I can see why Anita Baker is accused of being bland supermarket music. It's extraordinarily non-offensive and easy to listen to, which turns a lot of people off. The production almost flattens the entire sound. Having said that, I liked it a bit better than expected. 'Sweet Love' and 'Same Ole Love' both having enough texture to keep the music interesting and compliment Baker's gorgeous voice. Much of the album is pretty sanitized 80s adult contemporary, which isn't really for me. But when it works, it works pretty well.
Smooth and classic. Worth your time.
This album felt like one long song for me, and not necessarily in a bad way. Production-wise it's exactly what you'd expect from a bunch of radio-friendly songs in the 80s; nothing unique or particularly inspiring. At the same time, the vocal delivery was phenomenal—without Anita Baker's incredible voice, Rapture would be just another generic soul-pop record. While I do think this record would have benefited from a bit more variety musically—the instrumentation gets a bit repetitive later on—its simple format still works. Overall, this was a really pleasant experience... and isn't that what music should be about? It doesn't always have to be groundbreaking or revolutionary to be good. A solid 3.5 for me, rounding it up to 4 because it has no skips and it's definitely something I'd play as a whole on a chilly November evening.
Great songs, great voice
I enjoyed her vocals. The album had a very soft, relaxed feel which I liked. Unfortunately I was interrupted by ads throughout the entirety of the album since it is not on Spotify.
She has a beautiful voice and this was a nice album. There really is nothing more to say about it. Pretty bland.
When a woman with a voice as powerful as this can achieve the sweetest melodies, something special is certainly about to come. It wasn't a surprise at all. When I looked at the album cover I already expected to hear a spectacular voice and I was more than right. It was a pleasant surprise!
Hard to give this a fair review as only 4 songs were available on Spotify but this was not my taste.
I thought I might appreciate this more but it mostly just sounds incredibly dated.
This reminds me of a cafe my best friend and I used to go to when we were kids. Not as customers, of course, our target was the PC for customers right in the middle of it. We would occupy it for as long as the staff would let us, then go to a nearby electronics store to play on the consoles there or to annoy the cell phone salesman who seemed to not like us but still would come up with something to keep us quiet instead of just kicking us out. The exact type of music you would play if you wanted as few people as possible to be aware that anything was playing at all.
during no point did I think "Man, I wish I was paying more attention to this music"
i won't say i hated it, but it's definitely not something i would seek out to listen to again. (youtube music) 1.4/5
very nice onthe ears
You cannot deny Sweet Love. Hell, MF DOOM turned it into an all time classic sample. The rest of the album is a series of great 2 minute pop soul songs which regrettably last 5 minutes.
Ultimately slightly boring elevator music
Flott rödd, ágætur flutningur, lítið eftirminnileg lög við fyrstu hlustun, og svakaleg níunda tugar production, sem eldist ekki vel. Tæpur þristur.
Anita is a true artist food sure. This just isn’t my jam in this particular album.
I recognized a couple of the songs but not really my cup of tea
This is a very cool album by a woman with a very capable voice. Rich sounds. So smooth.
Good smooth R&B
Hey Maxi Jazz sung about her! I'll have to finish listening tomorrow. Very 80s that's for sure. Reminds me of Whitney Houston or something. There's only 4 tracks on this album that I can listen to on Spotify. It was alright. I'll give it a 3
I enjoyed it all the way, it's a bit dated but it still sounds good. Her voice is beautiful and unique.
A surprise 4+ for me. I remember the 80s pablum of pop R&B with mostly eyerolls. But as I’ve gotten older, I respect the craft of creating pleasant music highlighting a beautiful voice as an instrument a lot.
Some catchy songs. Standout songs: You Bring me Joy No one in the World Watch your step
Banger, tror jeg
2/5 not for me
First track is great, rest is a OK.
Loin d'être un mauvais album, mais ça sonne tellement trop de son époque. On dirait que ça sort d'une capsule de temps. Ce n'est pas du mauvais rnb/soul, mais ça sonne tellement trop "comme ça doit sonner". 6/10
Honestly I was gonna give this a 2 but then I listened to the back half of the album after smoking a joint while on a walk with my dog. That led me down some rabbithole of 90s soul that more for a very enjoyable start to the day.
Just never could really get into R&B.
Beautiful voice
We were all caught up by her beautiful singing back then. Great arrangements and Anita has an instantly recognizable voice. This is a delightful album still.
Ok album. Nothing groundbreaking
The 80s instrumentation kind of killed me here. She has a good voice, but nothing groundbreaking. The lyrics are also pretty RnB love song basic. Not much here for me.
First song really stand out on what's an otherwise okay album of romantic songs.
Sort of most of what you probably hate about 80s music. He voice is good but the high gloss and void of personality production makes this all sound the same.
I actually really like this. Reminds me a little of Never Too Much by LVD in terms of production, the bass, the guitar, the keyboards, backing vocals. Every song sounds like a single. It's short, the song are of a similar high quality.
Pas mon genre mais écoutable.
EXCELLENT
Great vocals but sonically just not for me at all, all a bit one paced and tedious.
When I was younger and this came out I wondered what adult contemporary would sound like when I was an adult. Guess it doesn't really exist anymore, but now that I'm an adult I get the appeal. Very middle of the road
Haven’t heard this album in years. Still an amazing voice.
loved it, soulful jazzy r&b. checked a lot of boxes
Smooth R&B. This was a nice pleasant album; not a great one.
I've known about the legend of Anita Baker ever sense a kind old ladies eye lit up when she was mentioned in one of my college music classes: "Sweet Anita!" she replied back. She was right, idk what took me so long. Rapture is short and sweet Anita Baker Best Song: Caught Up in the Rapture Worst Song: N/A
언니... you're gold
Boring ass album. Great voice but otherwise very mediocre. 4/10
Decent enough 80s pop
Sexy and smooth
Beautiful voice but not my cup of tea.
Classic, beautiful voice!
First one is an absolute banger. The album is generally very enjoyable but not too sure how often I’ll listen again
of its time, enjoyed some of it, some a bit meh
very chill sound, so classy
It was... fine? I just can't see much reason for this to be included on this list. It sounded like every other smooth jazz song from the 80s.
Album Nr. 61 Würde ich meinen Musikgeschmack fragen, hätte dieses Album lediglich eine 3 Sterne-Bewertung erhalten. Die gute Stimme von Anita Baker sowie die durch und durch gute Produktion des Albums heben diese Bewertung jedoch an.
80s Soul just doesn’t do it for me. Her voice is not bad, but something about the overproduced sound of the 1980s that just robs it of any power.
Can we all just admit we've gone out of our way to overrate her? There are at least 100 better female singers I'd put ahead of Anita Baker. There's nothing special here. It only broke out because a soulful adult contemporary song crossed over to the pop charts and somehow became a huge hit. Only at that point in 1986. Timing, as always, is everything.
Silky smooth eighties soul, Anita Baker’s luscious vocals over decent arrangements, this is maximum calm. The only thing it suffers from is that too perfect eighties polish which never makes it feel as real and earthy from preceding decades of soul.
Baker's voice, which is very "full" (particularly in the lower register), has an almost Cher-like quality to it. Coupled with the cliched heavy piano chords and light drumbeat, the album has an aggressively 80s feel. The opening track ("Sweet Love") is very catchy, and an easy playlist-padder. It's pretty infectious. The following tracks, "You Bring Me Joy" and "Caught Up in the Rapture", are also strong. The song "Mystery" almost reads like a slow disco song, with its outspoken electric keyboards, wiggly bassline, and call-and-response backing vocals. "No One in the World" is similar, but commits the sin of distracting the ear with too many incongruous elements (possibly a failed attempt at emulating MJ). The track "Been so Long" is a slight stinker, mainly for the vocals being nonsensical and lacking any kind of hook. Same Ole Love is almost good, although the use of lyrics with any number greater than 100 is always risky because it often just sounds clunky. Also, the phrase "365 Days a Week" is part of the song's title, but the word "week" doesn't appear anywhere in the lyrics. Strange. I'm a sucker for iv-I chord changes, and the final track, "Watch Your Step", is drenched with them. (The entirety of every verse is just those two chords.) Not too much else stands out, except for the "you fall and hurt yourself one day" hook performed by gospel-esque backing vocals, and the cool sax solo. I'm very surprised this track has the least listens on the album, because it clears all the other tracks except "Sweet Love". Still, the inconsistency of quality means this album gets 3 stars from me. A high 3 stars, but 3 stars nonetheless.
Talented singer, sure, but reeks of 80's production cheese. At this point, I'm over anything with a gated tom or chincy synth sound.
Blues
p559. 1986. 5 stars. One of THE great soul voices on absolutely top form. This is fabulous.
This 80’s production… oof. Still, pretty nice sounding album. Boring though.
Føler jeg har hørt alt før, men jeg elsker det. Sett på hele albumet på LP og nyt classic soul R&B å pule til og litt til.
I'll admit I wasn't to excited to see this one pop up as it's not really a genre I typically listen to but its a solid album. If I was streaming an R&B station or playlist, I wouldn't skip any track from this album. Note: This is not on Spotify. I had to use Amazon Prime.
This was a brilliant listen, faultless.
Right out of the gate, Anita Baker's Rapture establishes itself as one of the 80s premier and absolute best R&B records; a near-perfect mélange of 70s soul vocalization and 80s synthetic compositions coming together to form a timeless collection. Favorites: Sweet Love, You Bring Me Joy, Caught Up in the Rapture, Been So Long, Same Ole Love (365 Days a Week).
I liked it more than I expected to, but I will never seek it out again.
Very middle of the road 80’s soul, not sure why this needs to be on the list.
Liked this, I liked the dated sounding 80s production, it reminded me of the video game Shenmue.
A time capsule of 80s smooth r&b
Good enough to listen to.
No jos joku ei-niin-megasuosittu (?) 80-luvun balladilevy pitää listalla olla, miksei tämä. Kaunista laulua, ihan hitusen raakuuttakin saa välillä eli tulkintaa. Hyvin tylsät sanoitukset. Mutta söpö. En vaivautuisi kuuntelemaan uudelleen.
Ansaitsisi ykkösen silkasta banaaliudestaan, mutta - ei helvetti - himoitsin levyn melkein nimibiisiä koko homman jälkeenkin. Lopullinen todiste melodisuuden transsendenssista suhteessa juustoon.
2.8
I'll go 2 because she has a great set of pipes but the production and songwriting (sweet love aside) is really lacking
Clearly couldn’t go less than three stars—can sing, what pipes, etc.—but honestly it didn’t put me in sexy time mood, which was really what I was going for.
Anita is talented, but the production of this album doesn't help. For example, "Caught Up in the Rapture" has too much cheesy synth and drum machine. I understand that Anita's voice is the main instrument, but her supporting cast sounds like the weak part of '80s pop/R&B. Plus, this is just too much modern R&B, where the desire to wow with loud vocals and melisma (which I like to call warbling). The reviews at the time were so-so, and I think some of the retrospective reviews rely too much on the popularity of the album vs. it's actual merit. I think this probably deserves 2 stars but given it's history in R&B and Anita's talent, I'll bump it up to a 3.
spotify would only allow me to listen to 5 of the 8 songs on the album.
Beautiful. Really liked the crooning singing, pseudo-jazz soul band. Feels like it could've been from an older era than the 1986 recording date, just a traditional sound instead of contemporary R&B.
The vocals are impeccable. The production is lush. And yet on the face of it, Anita Baker’s “Rapture” is a fairly mediocre 1980’s pop record: nothing particularly leaping out, no jaw-dropping surprises, no unforgettable ear-worms. It’s Baker’s story, though, which makes her hard not to root for: a struggling waitress, dropped from her first band at the close of the ‘70’s, later giving the music industry one more go and striking gold with “Rapture”. It’s every underdog’s dream scenario, played out here with often stunning control and passion. Instrumentally, “Rapture” marks the calm before the quiet-storm boom of the mid to late ‘90’s: these songs seem as though they could have fit in anywhere from ten to fifteen years later. While the sweeping synths and twinkling electronic keyboards became a little grating, I still enjoyed the broody, quivering basslines of “Been so Long” and “Mystery”, alongside some tasteful palm-muted guitar. But the best contribution of all comes from the soulful backing vocals: listen for them sweeping in during the coda of “Same Ole Love (365 Days a Week)”, or the chorus of the magnificent “Watch Your Step”. They prevent “Rapture” from being all quiet-storm until we fall asleep, rousing the rabble at the eleventh hour. Elsewhere, though, the album seems content to frame everything around Baker’s performance without reaching for glory anywhere else. “Sweet Love”, the lead single, has what could be a soaring hook, but ends up stifled a little by a plodding rhythm and corny electric piano. The ballads like “You Bring Me Joy” are well performed, but syrupy enough to slow proceedings down a little too much. Perhaps, though, these moments just aren’t for me: the commercial and critical performance of “Rapture” attests to the underdog’s dream, as it reached 11 in the Billboard charts and won 2 Grammy awards. Ultimately, these hits may sound modest and unassuming, but they were hits nonetheless. Elegant; classy; vintage… it secured Anita Baker’s legacy for many years to come.
вайб бешеный, музыка отличная, вокал тоже в порядке
очень очень добротно
красивое
соул в целом не для меня, но если остановиться и сконцентрироваться, проникновенно
Another snoozefest
Beautiful voice. Was a lovely album.
I thought this was going to be some old Jazz album; it was short but sweet.
Not a bad album. Very 80's. Probably not anything I will be coming back to.
At least it's relatively short. Cheese with added cheese on top.
This is such a smooth album. It flows from one track to the next. The arrangements are close to perfection – not bad with Anita Baker self-producing only her second album. All the talk at the time was mainly within the HiFi snobs market. It was the ideal record for showcasing your set up. Three decades later and the music does all the talking. It’s the perfect album length at only 37 minutes. What a voice.
2.5 Girl has one song, said sang differently each time.
That was a pleasant listen. It's always fun to listen to an album for the first time and recognize most of the tracks from the radio in my childhood. Same happened with the album Diamond Life by Sade. This album had a few dips in the middle, but otherwise was solid. 4/5
Vilket sömnpiller!
Easy listening, they were all pleasant but nothing terribly memorable for me
Makes me feel like I need a perm and a track suit.
No amount of emotion and vocal control can make up for bad taste, but it certainly helps.
Typical normal R&B/soul. Good voice though.
Tvö af Top 10 80s R&B lögunum mínum eru á þessari plötu. Ógurlega fallegt sánd, elska þetta.
Very pleasant.
This album sounded like your classic 80s soul music. Her voice and the background music never seemed to change from song to song, everything blended together. 4/10
Tasteful. I liked it.
Very nice, very smooth, I also don't know why I would listen to this over the 1 million other artists in this genre. I would like this if it showed up in a playlist of mine but wouldn't seek it out. 6/10
Very nice voice with music that’s trapped in the 80s. This is a dated album that sounds of its time. Doesn’t mean it’s not good just kind of left in the past. This is the 80s music that just didn’t make it to the modern age. 5/10
Incredible singing and although I'm not usually a fan of 80's production, this album was nicely produced. I liked the concise run time because if this went over 50ish minutes I would've started to lose interest.
This is tath your mother listening on the sunday's morning
Música elegante para momentos de ocio
Sweet, sweet voice. I’d heard her before but hadn’t really listened to a full selection. Just soothing & sweet.
Her voice is amazing! the percussion work is a masterpiece. The passion this album displays is a must to appreciate.
Had not listened to this album for quite some time. A very smooth 80s soul/r&b megaseller and easy to listen to once and a while.
I can't deny this is pretty and well executed.
80’s r&b by a talented voice. nothing too special, but a decent album.
This was buttery smooth jams. Great voice.
I remember some of this. For what it is, it’s pretty darn good.
meh
Nice album. I like this kind of soul although I‘m not often in the mood to listen to it
i had never heard of anita baker before, and i can now acknowledge that not knowing this black woman with a stunning, jaw dropping voice is a crime! when she holds those high notes, i feel like my soul has transcended my body. what an absolutely delightful listen. i immediately began the album over again once i finished it. i'm obsessed with this jazzy and soulful r&b style, and i even learned of a new genre: quiet storm. the music doesn't throw itself in your face, and i think it could even be considered as understated. regardless, rapture is calm and lovely. in a music world that continues to be dominated by white men, anita baker is a joyful and refreshing inclusion.
I had heard of Anita Baker before, but I don't think I had ever heard any of her music before. Now that I have, I am here to tell you, this album is SMOOTH. AS. BUTTER. Anita hits and holds beautiful notes effortlessly and with precision here, against a backdrop of R&B and soul music. I think what makes this album a worthy inclusion is the little known 'quiet storm' genre -- essentially, R&B that is infused with some sensual-sounding, easy listening jazz. Most divas with this kind of voice belt in very dramatic ways, but Anita's approach on this album is incredibly subtle but effective...quite fitting of the genre. In addition, this genre had historically been mostly dominated by men, with women dabbled in. So while Anita Baker was not the originator of this genre, she certainly low-key mastered it from a female vocalist perspective! Furthermore, I can think of many female vocalists who came after this period who would mimic this style, no doubt inspired by Baker's performance here! Definitely baffled by the underperformance of this album on this project. For me, it falls at about a 3.5, so I definitely feel comfortable rounding up!
Lovely soul voice, but dated 1986 style of music.
Banger
favourite song: sweet love undeniably fantastic singer just not the biggest fan of the songs themselves
Cool
Gute Stimme, seichte Arrangements
I think the thing that has made listening to one of these albums every day so enjoyable is to see where my consumption and enjoyment of certain kinds of music has evolved. I can’t say for certain whether or not I would have loved this album 5 to 6 months ago, since it doesn’t exactly fit the bill of that poppy 80’s music I speak so negatively about. But what I can say for certain is that I found this album absolutely wonderful. This is the perfect definition of short and sweet. Eight songs that are paced exceedingly well, that total to not even forty minutes of music. And it starts off insanely strong, with Sweet Love. Beyond my predisposed attachment to the song simply because it was sampled by MF DOOM, it is also just a great soul song. And nearly every song after that displays the same characteristics of the opening track, with bright synth patterns and high pitched picky guitars. It’s a kind of guitar tone that I feel doesn’t get enough love, and really only thrived in this era. I love how the vibe changes slightly once you reach the B-side. The music is the same, but everything gets a little slower and sexier. And on top of everything, Anita just happens to have one of the most lively and beautiful singing voices I've ever heard in soul music, and maybe just in general. And it goes pairs flawlessly with the sound of the record. This is soul music with real genuine soul. Rating: 8/10
Blind album and artist. Short and boring. Too calm for me. This would belong on a generic CD compilation set.
What a voice.
First two singles didn't really stand out but enjoying the soulful basslines and keys on tracks like Been so Long. Mystery is a highlight - atmospheric and catchy - and No One in the World.
Huge fan of 80's R&B. Thank you 97.9 WJLB and the Electrifying Mojo! Great voice, great sound and great music. Several of these songs I remember from the radio days. Makes me want to grab my beautiful wife of 30 years and just hold her in my arms all day long. Anyway, Anita has a strong, beautiful sound that is so effortless, you can't help but groove along. The kind of music you rarely hear these days or at least here in SW MI. The kind of music I miss the most. Pretty sure Sweet Love, You Bring Me Joy, Caught Up in the Rapture and Same Ole Love were on the regular play list on WJLB back in the day. All I know is the album triggered some good memories of getting introduced to a new genre of music growing up west of Detroit. Wonderful album. I wish it were on Spotify so I could let the genre play all day long. 4
2 Yeah, this really didn’t do anything for me. It very, very much feels like a product of its time and dated by 2024 standards. Her voice is of course nice, but it doesn’t come off as particularly standout or unique nor does anything about the music, so as a whole, I really couldn’t point out any one moment that stood out to me. In fact, I’m really trying my best here to think of anything to add to further flesh out my thoughts or maybe just help beef up my review, but I’m just drawing a blank. Can’t say that it’s bad, but I can confidently say it’s not for me. I guess this won 2 Grammys which surprised me and made me think that I’m missing something, but then I remembered the Grammys committee has the most middle-of-the-road, borderline awful taste, so I feel like my opinion (or lack thereof) is reinforced.
So many good jams!!! So bummed its not on spotify! An MF Doom sample on Been so long, and a dancefloor jammer Watch your step, soo soo so awesome!
A nice listen is about as much praise as I can give this one
Anita has a beautiful and multifaceted voice, but the boring, elevator music style production really holds this album back. I listened with my mom and she liked every other song. Some choruses slapped and some were dull. They really blended together, but it is a vibe if you’re in the mood for it. 3/5
Oh I am so excited to see this on the list. It’s so nice to see anything other than more white men. It’s rare to find some soul in this list of sameness. Aaaaand of course Spotify has half the songs on the album blocked. SMH One of the things I admired about Anita Baker was that, at the absolute peak of fame, she walked away from it all to care for her sick relative. Just left the world behind for the sake of love. I still enjoy her music. The two big hits are still perfect r&b pop. Even my 80yr old grandfather used to like her back in the day. Her voice is effortless and clear. So much of the melody is carried in her singing. It’s hard not to blast this to sing along to. Her voice just invites you to join in. Really enjoying this. No One in the World is new to me and has been added to mixes now. Ok now pretty much everything has been saved to my lists. Forgot about Same Ole Love. Friggin’ love it. Excellent album. Wish it was fully available. Happy to have more Anita Baker in my life. This is a great example of 80’s quiet storm, easy r&b. Great music that still holds up. Perfect performances all around. Already replaying.
Plenty of nice songs in here sung well. It's not something I'm massively into in general, but it's easy listening.
Pretty music, that I’m just not into.
I know it’s supposed to be good, but I just can’t. Her voice was good, but it all sounded the same and so tied to a time when I think the state of R&B was at a low.
It's fine. Just classic R&B love songs with a female vocalist. Not what I would choose to listen to, but otherwise unobjectionable.
Canta muy bien. Un disco agradable.
Big yawn. If this is adult contemporary then give me something juvenile and retro because this crap sparks no interest in me whatsoever. (Anita Ward did Ring my Bell - now that’s a tune.)
Pretty good, soul filled stuff
Would definitely listen again
It is an album my mother would like. Slow, easy listening. If that is what you like, then it is a good one.
Not my thing.
Sweet Love - 8/10 You Bring Me Joy - 8/10 Caught Up in the Rapture - 9/10 Been so Long - 8/10 Mystery - 7/10 No One in the World - 8/10 Same Ol Love - 8/10 Watch Your Step - 8/10 TOTAL - 64/80
Great voice. Very 80s. Pop-soul with those synth keys. The choir is a nice touch, but could have been perfected a bit more.
Easy going soul music, okay for background.
Yep ... it's dated. I suspect that this album, with all its hilarious little synth effects, was already old when it was released in 1986.
I cannot stand this type of schlocky, over produced 80’s adult contemporary music. It’s like a Thomas Kinkade painting: gauzy and not reflective of reality. Anita Baker is a great singer, but, to my ears, this music sounds incredibly dated.
Good singer but boring songs that don't really work for her style.
It puts you in a mood, for sure
It was nice!! None of the songs really stood out but I liked it more than the previous two
A little too produced for my taste. But I hear the quality.
I'm loving the bass on Same Ole Love. I'm a sucker for the poppy bass playing, especially when it carries some melodic weight. The whole album wasn't available on my Spotify, so I wasn't able to listen to the whole thing, but what I did get was good, but not great. A couple of really good songs, and some songs that sounded like they shouldn't be allowed to leave a hair salon.
Decent record. Sweet Love is a classic, but the rest of it is pretty blah.
Great singer. All the songs sound very similair
Good voice, chill vibes but ultimately nothing stands out. Also half the album is missing in Spotify...so did I realllllly listen to it? Hmm...
# Anita Baker, Rapture Released 1986 2-3* just too jazzy/swoony/disco for me. But I will gladly admit that Anita's vocals are top notch and that bass on Same Ole Love is fantastic. ## "Sweet Love" Anita Baker, Louis A. Johnson, Gary Bias 4:26 3* I remember this jam on the radio and it wasn't my favorite at the time. But yeah, the chorus gets you going. ## "You Bring Me Joy" David Lasley 4:24 2* Just too smooth and jazzy for me. ## "Caught Up in the Rapture" Garry Glenn, Dianne Quander 5:17 2* Just too slow for my taste. ## "Been So Long" Baker 5:07 2* Man she's got an incredible voice. The scatting is top notch. Just not my style of music. ## "Mystery" Rod Temperton 4:56 2* Great voice, too jazzy/swoony for me. ## "No One in the World" (Produced by Marti Sharron and Gary Skardina) Ken Hirsch, Marti Sharron 4:10 2* Just sooooo jazzy/swoony. Not my style. ## "Same Ole Love (365 Days a Year)" Marilyn McLeod, Darryl K. Roberts 4:05 3* Probably my second favorite song on the album after Sweet Love. That bass is awesome! Great slapping by Freddie Washington. ## "Watch Your Step" Baker 4:54 3* Great voice, too jazzy for me.
Great music for the right mood, I’m not always in the moods for this music, however. Glad to see another woman representing.
Good music for a romantic coffee shop scene, alas I'm here sitting on my ass trying to figure out why my code isn't fucking working. Still really enjoyable. Has that "rainy friday evening" atmosphere that I dig. Makes me want to light a cigarette and lean against a sign post while a raspy-voiced Englishman narrates my inner thoughts.
"Rapture" is the second album by American vocalist Anita Baker. Baker teamed up with Chapter 8 bandmate Michael Powell who produced this, her Elektra debut. R&B, soul and quiet storm are the listed genres. I had to look up quiet storm which is both a radio format and a genre of R&B with a smooth, romantic and jazz-influenced style and based a 1975 Smokey Robinson album. It was her breakout album garnering her two Grammy's. Commercially, it hit #11 in the US and #13 in the UK. "Sweet Love" opens with piano and drums. This is smooth and jazzy with the keyboards added. Baker has a soothing voice which goes loud to emphasize her sweet love. The second single "Caught Up in the Rapture" is slower with a R&B beat. A very light and airy vibe with the dreamy keyboards. The keyboards are again front and center in "No One in this World." They're very 80's sounding with a shimmering echo. Baker shows off her voice and actually croons. A nice touch with the female backing vocals. Horns lead off the album closer "Watch Your Step." This has a nice groove. A catchy chorus with the female backing vocals. For some reason, Baker's voice reminded me of Alison Moyet. Wow, this took me back to the 80's. Of course, I thought of Billy Ocean. However, this is a fine album. Her voice is great: romantic, smooth. The production is very glossy. I kind of got what I expected but it had been awhile. If you want a trip down to the 80's memory lane, this is a good place start.
Can't find this album on Spotify
You don't have to hate music to like this (if you do then listen to noise rock or avant-garde), but you DO have to be totally disinterested. 2 stars because she does have a great voice. This album would be in the top ten examples of ultimate cheese.
mediocrerandb i dont know
Lovely
Was only able to listen to half of the album because Spotify doesn't have it. Thought it was fine. Anita has some great performances, but the songwriting seemed a little lacking
Her voice is beautiful and insane, but the music itself didn’t feel like anything special, if anything maybe stuck in the 80s in a way that doesn’t transcend the cliches of the decade. I’m also not a fan of smooth jazz and the parts that felt like smooth jazz were only resuscitated by Anita’s vocals.
Sweet Love is a banger and it was nice to be reminded of it. Beyond that nothing else really grabbed me, but it was an enjoyable listen and there's no denying that voice.
If you didn't tell me that this album was from the 1980s then it wouldn't have mattered because I would have guessed it. From the diva-like vocals to the large arrangements, Anita Baker tries to embody what we know today of the powerhouse female artists - keyword being tries. Every time I thought she was going to really wow me, it fell short. Best: Sweet Love Worst: Watch Your Step
I mean... this must be pretty close to peak 80's schmaltz, right?
I'm a child walking around the mall in 1986 with my mother and I'm happy.
Soft-rock cheese. Meh.
Rating: 10/10
Lovely!
Jättebra
Knew some songs, this is a weird feeling of a soul into easy listening which I think it was on the edge of. Not my favourite album I've ever heard but it's worth a listen.
Undeniably she gas a great voice. Solid album to slow dance with someone. The instrument choices aren't my style.
That little lady makes some good songs
not my style.
I actually like this a fair bit, but I'll never listen to it. Cool yacht rock sound musically but I don't like the lyrics. Too cheesy.
Powerful voice but think I would prefere to listen to other artists doing a similar style
Nice
Anita is packing some killer pipes! Although this really isn’t the kind of thing I go for, I respect the talent. It’s a mellow listen, but worthy.
Kind of cool, interesting voice but a lot of it felt pretty generic to me. Rapture song was kind of groovy. A lot of it felt like gospel. Ultimately not worth the effort of listening on YouTube.
Finally got around to this. There are some cool moments but the songs really all blend together. Her voice is super cool though.
I can confidently say that my mother probably loved this album. As for me, quiet storm is not my type of genre.
Not bad
I remember well when this came out. Beautiful voice, but sounds dated now.
Look, like it or not, your parents and/or grandparents (depending on your age) definitely got busy to this record. There's a good chance you wouldn't even exist without Anita Baker. Show some respect!
I didn't sit and listen to the story my full attention but it made really great backround music
This album was really solid. Definitely heard Anita baker before but probably the first time I’ve done a whole album. Her sound is splendid R&B done soulfully and with energy. Several songs on this album you can feel the emotion she has singing. This is good music and one the list got right. Everyone should listen to this. 8.0/10
Zzzzz
Soi kyllä kauniisti. Rahoittava ja tunnelmallinen kokonaisuus joka painuu osittain kutumusan puolelle.
Laadukas ja tyylikäs toki, mut tylsä
One of the great R&B voices of all time and a classic record.
Meh.
Bisschen beliebig. Trotzdem mittige drei Sterne.
She does a lovely job and has a gorgeous voice but this level of romance has never really done much for me. Can't fault the album, it's just a personal preference. Gonna give it 3/5 stars tho.
No disrespect towards this album for me but I think it's a one and done. Nothing really enraptured me, it was all pretty good sweet songs but except for very specific circumstances I can't see myself throwing this album on again. She's a great singer though, definitely pleasant to listen to but nothing that had me going ~ooh okay~.
Beautiful voice and some good songs in there but didn't really move me
Very 80s, very smooth, nice voice. Ideal for putting on in the background for a romantic night....but wouldn't liste to it otherwise!
It’s hard to hate on such an inoffensive album, it’s just not something that moves me in any particular way. I can imagine this being used at hifi stores to show off a system, but that’s pretty much it.
A great album! Surprised that I knew so many of these songs.
Beautiful gem that will now live in my life forever
Love it
This is far from terrible but I don't really get it's placement on the list. The songs are all 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦 but apart from Mystery there wasn't another song that I thought was great.
Jaja
A little too easy-listening for me.
I fondly remembered Anita Baker thanks to my aunt & uncle listening to R&B stations back in the day. Every time Anita came on, I'd stop to listen. To this day, I think about her - I'm so glad this was on the challenge. This is classic R&B, and it's done right. I loved this album so much, I listened to it three times & let the algorithm run free after the album was over. What an awesome day of beautiful & chill R&B. It was like hearty chicken soup for the soul. 5 stars.
How did this make it on here? There was some good music about in that decade and this wasn’t it. Dull soul.
Beautiful vocals on display!
it's not for me.
Was probably 2 stars
som muito agradável, romantico, boa instrumentação
Just really not my style. An album full of mid-tempo songs about love. Not for me. I can't really judge it harshly if it's you're thing I'm sure it's great. Anita has a wonderful voice. 2.5 stars
This is classic territory here.
It's OK I guess. It's not really my kinda music.
Not on Spotify as a full album, so listened to what I could. Wonderful, soulful singing
A couple of lovely tracks, otherwise quite run of the mill. 3*
Only had a quick listen but nothing pulled me back for another go.
I ALREADY RATED THIS YOU IDIOTS
Lovely stuff.
I really have enjoyed this album, soothing to listen to
For the most part it was ok. As soon as I heard the opening song I was like, "Oh yeah, I remember this song." But a lot of the other songs? Yeah, not so much. People mock some of the lyrics of the prog rock I listen to, but the lyrics to "Mystery" were as bad as I anything I've listened to. Some of the songs do really showcase Anita's ability, but the songs are pretty standard R&B fare. I was expecting more from this.
Now come one. Anita Baker gets an album on the 1,001 list and Whitney Houston gets zero? That's ridiculous. No doubt Baker can sing but there's only one Whitney. And this album has just as much 80's radio-friendly schlock as any Whitney album. Rant over, let's focus on Baker's album. Her voice is fantastic, the soft rock/pop/jazz accompaniment is cringeworthy. I don't know enough to say whether this album is a pioneer of the quiet storm R&B genre or just a well-polished example of it at its height. Yep, I'm putting this album on when it's throwback or guilty pleasure night. But otherwise? I'm not so sure.
It wasn't quite bad enough for 1 star, but it was pretty meh. Syrupy pop/ soul stuff that is radio friendly and instantly forgettable.
Short and sweet
Soul. Ni fu ni fa.
Canta muy bien. Un disco agradable.
<Radio voice> Now, the best romantic directly from the 80s. Here are your favorite songs. Just at the 102Mhz </Radio voice>
Great voice. I didn’t care much for the backing music.
this is pleasant, but no idea why its on list. and why not on Spotify? Maybe its a rogan thing.
Не поклонник соул,но этот альбом цепляет!
Nice bit of 80’s soul
not bad but boring soul
Liked it but not quite enough to buy it.
This was fine. Felt like something I would hear at a JCPenney in like the late 90s.
Sweet Love, You Bring Me Joy (great sax solo), Caught Up in the Rapture, Been So Long, Mystery. Every song was enjoyable and really enjoyed her voice. Catchy and I could definitely listen to it again.
She has a good voice. It's not my type of music. you bring me joy
Decently enjoyable R&B album, nothing too special. FS: Sweet Love, Been so Long
Beautiful voice, but the songs are just not good.
3.5
Solid, nice voice. A little uninspiring in places though.
Not bad
Awful
This isn't very interesting. She has a voice of good range but nothing that hadn't been done before or since, the opening track is the highlight, but she doesn't seem to care about any of it. This was four years before that George Michael album we had recently, similar eras and a similar style of music, but the emotion and quality of his voice made that several tiers better than this by comparison.
This is... fine... Nice voice without being noticeably brilliant, perfectly solid R&B but nothing more than that. Songwriting isn't particularly special, a pleasant but not exciting listen. 2/5.
Smooooth
Don't get me wrong, beautiful voice, but I kept getting JCPenny vibes. Like if the store my grandma shops at had a gospel choir every now and then. Not in a bad way though, this girl can sing better than most! Just hard to vibe to on the regular.
Yeah this is a pretty decent soul album with some well-known singles but I’m only ~ 140 albums into this project and I’ve already heard more moving examples of 80s soul
Marco said it sounds like an AI. I liked it. It was energetic but melancholic.
Too smooth 2/5
A great album from one of my favourite vocalists! favs: You Bring Me Joy, Watch Your Step, Same Ole Love, Sweet Love, Caught Up In The Rapture least fav: No One In The World
an undeniable talent and great band but it all feels… sterile.
I can smell the Pledge already! And I recognise this song!! The 80s called and said "Hi". I like the bass, very punchy. The rhythm section is tight. Eh, what to say..? A brilliantly produced, crafted and recorded record and Anita has an incredible voice. Once or twice I listened to the intro of the track and expected Michael Jackson to start singing, and more than once I thought I was listening to Whitney Houston. Do you like the genre or not? 2 / 5 stars.
I think this is sexy music for your grandparents which makes it super creepy.
the first song (sweet love) set my expectations wayy too high, the rest of the album just felt boring after that song. the bass lines were super groovy and carried every song
This wasn't a bad album, but it all sounded pretty much the same to me. Anita Baker has a lovely voice but I couldn't tell you any songs or anything that made me sit up and pay attention. 2/5
Great production, slightly bland songwriting though.
The 80s were a mistake.
Sweet Love was sweet. Been So Long probably refers to the start of the song, no idea why that song had to be so long, felt like an eternity. Overall a very good voice and songs that are pleasant to listen to. I'm just a little too lonely to give this 5 stars.
Good enough voice but nothing I haven't heard a million times before. The album also lacked anything even close to a hit song
Great voice, kinda boring songs
Tråkigt.. bra röst dock
She has a great voice but I find this adult contemporary stuff a slog to get through.
Great voice, but not my thing.
Her voice is impressive, but this just isn't for me.
This album displays a beautiful voice that was caught in the trap of uninspired, cheesy 80s music.
I remember a few of these tracks from the 80s when she and this album were very popular. I didn't pay much attention to her music at the time because it was out of my usual listening lane, so I'm glad this project served it up today. Holy Schneikies, that VOICE! She is fantastic as a vocalist and performer. I am not trained or experienced enough in music to identify specifics, but I could hear how wide and rich her range is and according to the main Wikipedia article on her, "Baker is a contralto with a range of nearly three octaves." Musically, another reason I'm glad to have listened to this album is to hear how the songs are more interesting, layered, and complex than I would have guessed. I wish I had a deeper appreciation for music back then, but obviously there's nothing I can do about that, so it's wonderful to embrace new music now or revisit music I missed or overlooked, and hear things in the music I used to ignore from my closed-mindedness. She is incredible.
Typical 80's affair. Great voice. reminded me of glass and shiny surfaces in generic nightclubs called Ritzys or Champs.
Bright, joyful, super smooth. I've always had an appreciation for this type of RnB, the kind when the piano just glistens as the singer sings soulfully over it. Anita has a gorgeous voice, and it just plays against the instruments so well. So many wonderful melismatic runs, hooks for days. It might be a little cheesy, but I think it's aware of that, and plays into it. Favorite tracks: "Mystery", "Sweet Love", "Caught Up In The Rapture", "Same Ole Love"
Great voice
Spotify just removed this album unfortunately, but I was able to listen to about half the songs before it disappeared. Nice, easy listening. Not really my thing, but I definitely appreciate her voice.
If I had to rank the genres of music, this 80s smooth neo-soul would be pretty low of the list Sure, she’s got a great voice. But I often find that people with the best voices write some of the most boring music
Exceptional 4/5
Tuommoista ihan menevää rnb poppia
Ok, so I can see how some people would appreciate this M.O.R. soul record. Not me though, this was pish.
"I LOVE QUIET STORM MUSIC! What is quiet storm music? " Ei kiinnosta. Pidäppäs naamaläpi kiinnni. Kerrassaan hyvin paskaa musiikkia. Kahdeksankymmentäluvun teollinen tuottamalla tuotettu PASKA. Tässä ei ole mitään kaunista. heh.. vähän niinkuin Ukrainan tavassa aloittaa laiton sota.. Vilunkipeliä kun ei anneta vastapuolelle varoitustakaan ja lähdetään iskemään yöllä salaa. Se on petkuttamalla saatu voitto. Roger waters.
Stolen from another reviewer "feels by the numbers but those numbers are so much bigger than normal". She has a great smooth voice and I enjoyed listening, it does blend into the background however. 3.4