Rapture

2.5

A Hubba bubba beep-n-deeb-y-beeby-dee-bee. Dreadful, but probably my favourite part.

It‘s really annoying how the art of singing is supposed to be top shelf when it mostly sounds like howling. Same as with opera I‘d ban this Whitney Houston‘esque form of Soul from this planet if I had the chance to.

Anita Baker has a fantastic voice but I find this type of music just so boring and has nothing to grab me.

Belle voix, écoute agréable

I've lost all respect sorry this is absolutely rigged for money... Or ratings in not sure which. I won't be silent . Just saw it live sry. nosti pojolla lopussa hyvä trio biisejä... tulee albumi kuitenkin unohdettua... no one in the world

a bish be beltin

Not my jam

Good music, but I don’t like the style.

Her voice is soooo smooth. This is on the better side of 3, but still not something I'd likely revisit anytime soon.

Soulful singer. The pieces have interesting melodies, but the synth and 80's feeling funk seem a bit dated. Overall, it has some interest but doesn't fully pull me in and engage.

Only able to listen to some of the songs on this due to Spotify licensing but I got the gist. Pretty good but nothing stood out.

boring eighties

Can’t say anything bad about the songs, her voice or the album in general other than it’s just not my style. I understand why it’s on the list, but it just doesn’t do anything to me.

Very good, although not very exciting to me. She's a great singer though, and following in a grand tradition of soul/disco crossover.

The sort of elevator music that's only bearable if you're going from one floor to the next. Yes, Baker is a very competent singer, blah blah blah. Yes this album received Grammy awards, blah, blah, blah. So what? Machine Gun Kelly had one last year if my memory serves. But at least the bloated piece of crap he dares call "music" can be, well, *fun to hate*. In comparison, Anita Baker's songs are boring, bland and even more formulaic than what this moron does. Sometimes the worst crime there is is not to have bad taste: it's to have no taste at all. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: less than 700, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens:  approximately a half so far  Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter (including this one)

Beautiful

fav tracks: caught up in the rapture 💙💙, sweet love, mystery, watch your step, same old love

Classy

A little Anita will definitely set this party off right.

Her vocals are fantastic, but the style of songs isn’t really something I’m drawn to.

This isn't really my type of music, but it was pretty good for what it was

It was okay. Nothing stood out to me.

A última romântica.

A stunning album, great singing, great bass, fantastic sax

Not my cup of tea.

I can appreciate her voice but I am not very into this style of music.

Liked it more over the listen, surprisingly. Little empty-sounding outside of her voice, which isn't really my thing though. 3/5

I think I’ve heard of Anita Baker, but never actually listened to any of her stuff. So color me surprised when I liked this a good bit. She has a raspy yet emotive voice and delivers everything incredibly, even when the production is kind of cheesy. Definitely here for it. B

Genres: R&B, soul, quiet storm Formed: 1983 (solo) Run time: 8 songs, 36 min, 17 sec The second album by the vocalist. With only 8 songs and a play time of 36 minutes, it’s not much “bang for the buck” as the Americans would say. Spotify: Least popular songs have just over 1M plays and the most popular song: track 1, “Sweet Love” with over 95M plays. The first song is great, very catchy and upbeat. Most of the album is quite restrained and bland (if I’m honest). It doesn’t showcase Anita Bakers’ fantastic powerful voice. The production team needed a kick up the arse for making this record. It’s like they took a Ford Mustang out of the garage to nip round the corner to the shop. It needs to be let loose on the open road, i.e. she needs to be letting rip, not talking quietly. What a waste. Listen Again?: No My Rating: **

Talented but dated

I'm not really one for schmoozy 80s fare, but this album was fairly listenable and reasonably uplifting to boot!

What a great voice, lovely album

Totally inoffensive but I wasn’t really grabbed by anything, other than thinking No One in the World was a fun track. Felt a bit too much like hotel lobby music to me, a little too ‘adult contemporary’, but her voice was great.

I couldn’t find the album on Spotify but I found it on YouTube. This is definitely what inspired city pop, the bass is so good, the songs are catchy and easy to listen too. It’s all about love and Anita’s voice is so sweet.

It’s very good at its job

Anita Baker’s voice is like butter, but the music is not my style.

Great talent

Her hits are amazing, and the rest of the album is a master class in soulful R&B.

super Stimme, super Musik, aber die Texte: immer nur über den / die andere in einer Liebesbeziehung. Ein ganzes Album davon wird schnell langweilig, trotz der herausragenden Musik.

Soul and R&B saved '80s music.

its like a precursor to Whitney Huston

Baker's smooth, soulful voice is showcased on the album, and the songs are mostly slow and romantic, with lush arrangements and production. The album can be considered as a classic of 1980s R&B and soul music.

Lekker!

Totaal niet mijn muziek. Zat met een twee in m’n hoofd maar werd gaandeweg toch nog ietsjes aangenamer om naar te luisteren, dus hierbij een 2,5.

Not a style that I'm really into but still mostly enjoyed this album. She's an incredible musician and has a fantastic voice in my opinion.

Perfection.

Didn't listen but I think she popped up before and I was not feeling... soulful contemporary shit or something

1.5

Sweet Love is a great track, but a whole album it does not make. Most of the rest of the album is filler, though the last track isn't bad.

Sweet FA.

like being buffed into submission with a chamois leather

Great voice!! Just not my cup. of tea

Too smooth.

smooth soul indeed. been so long mi je najdraža sa albuma. općenito album nije nešta čemu bi se vraćo, ali mi ne bi smetalo da svira u pozadini, jok.

Amazing voice, under-remembered.

Great voice but doesn't blow me away.

Shite. Hate this banal soul-lite crap.

It has some potential to make some excellent vapourwave but as it is I struggled to enjoy it. There were some glimmers of potential interest here and there. 1.5/5

Nice!

A really enjoyable album with some great tunes

This has to be one of those albums whose airplay was limited to department store perfume sections. I was going to give it a grudging 3 for being technically proficient, but by the end I was rolling my eyes. Half an hour shouldn't feel that long. 2/5.

Pretty dull. Nothing memorable about it.

Not really my jam. ok I suppose. 1.5/5

impressed by the voice

Incomplete on Spotify but what’s available bops. Love to recognize the MF DOOM Hoe Cakes sample originated in…(checks notes) Sweet Love. Deborah Vance eat your heart out.

I didn't notice anything in particular

Fubn listen, amazing voice!

Fun fact, I worked for IBM in the late 80's in the Detroit area, and I worked with Anita Baker's then-fiancé Walter Bridgforth. Everyone referred to him as "Mr. Baker". Never met Anita, and I believe Walter took a leave of absence shortly after I started because this album was taking off. That's about as tenuous a connection you could have to a celebrity I guess. Anyway, this is nice. Very smooth and soulful. Not really my favorite style of music but it's pretty good. 3 stars.

Beautiful person with a beautiful voice. My wife really loves Anita Baker and used to play this frequently. I dislike this music.

great vocals, the backing tracks all feel too cheesy 80's love to me.

Si vous êtes nouveau sur le générateur et que vous vous demandez pourquoi une si belle voix et une musique de si bon goût peut avoir une note moyenne générale aussi basse, dites-vous bien qu'une grosse partie de la communauté du générateur est constituée de punks à chien ne jurant que par les germs et les minutemerde.

Cet album nous présente Anita Baker, une diva à la voix sublime, qui vient nous enchanter tout au long de l'album. Malheureusement, comme les mots clés "diva" et "voix sublime" ont été utilisé, le correcteur automatique du générateur doit lui attribuer une note moyenne inférieure à 3. J'ai contacté Robert au sujet de ce correcteur que je trouve personellement défaillant. Je vous tiendrai au courant de sa réponse dans un prochain review.

This style of music is not my thing. To me it feels and over-produced and sanitized version of R&B. The singing of course is phenomenal, and there are a few interesting chord changes here and there, but overall, this music does not resonate with me at all.

Got a little bored 7/10

HL: Sweet Love, Watch Your Step, Mystery Don’t have a lot to say about this album. Just that it’s really well performed and some sections reminded me of the music behind your local 7 day weather forecast October 4, 2022

Slept through most of it.. I feel cruel for giving a 1 star but I have too.

It’s better than Bjork. Other than that… other than smooth production, and some tight bass I find it nothing special.

I'm just not a fan of the genre. She might be the best at it but all I hear is dentist office music.

Not for me. Not even a little bit. Type of music that puts me to sleep or actively annoys me.

This might be an album I should come back to when I feel like hearing something with that classic 80s sound. It's the only thing that is keeping me from really loving it and that's probably only because that's not where my head is right now.

A good voice, otherwise ok

pretty good, had heard the album before and enjoyed it.

Great and good

I mildly enjoyed the few songs I heard from the album. Anita’s voice is good but not great, which is very apparent throughout all the songs. Decently catchy songwriting though. 5/10

There are obviously some very talented studio musicians present here (and a lot of them!). And Bakers deep vibrato is smooth as silk. But overall the record is quite non-memorable, save for some few moments sprinkled throughout. The funky bass on 'Sweet Love' and 'Same Ole Love'. The discrete funk guitar on 'Been So Long'. And the layers upon layers of percussion on almost every track. But all in all the album is much too polished for my tastes. I understand why it was Baker's commercial breakthrough, because every track feels as though it was written and produced with the sole intention of maximizing airtime.

Started listening to this in my car but quickly realized that it truly deserved being played on my actual hi-fi system instead. The production is insane! I had absolutely no expectations going into this… If anything I wasn’t that hyped. But I genuinely really enjoyed both Baker’s incredible tone and range and the extreme smoothness of the production. Everything single detail stood out clear as day - especially the bass. I probably enjoyed this way more than I should have; but what a voice and what a collection of musicians. I almost gave this a 4 due to the taste of red wine during my listen and the fact that it sounded incredible on my speakers. But on any given weekday I don’t think there’s quite enough memorable moments for it to actually deserve it.

Oh my God, I love it already! Reminds me of my childhood. 70s sound with 80s production.

Eh

Not my kind of music, but she has a good voice.

Great singing voice. Some funky grooves. Good example of R&B soul music.

During this 1001 albums experience I've wanted to consider genres that might be outside my wheelhouse and just let myself react to the music emotionally. I don't think I can do it with this. I had to force myself through discomfort to finish it. To me the music feels like attempts at emotional manipulation more than it does actual emotional expression. Is that entirely on me? Probably. I'm not going to try to step outside myself and say that the vocalist is clearly amazingly talented, and that there are some cool bass parts here and there, because ultimately I found the experience painful. Really well executed safe commercial pap is still safe commercial pap.

Always have and always will love the 80s. Just something about that gated drum sound and the atmosphere. Nothing too special on this, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected.

I didn't want this album to end.

Beautiful voice - had to listen on YT b/c half of the album was hidden on Spotify?

Had never heard of Anita Baker but was pleasantly surprised, Sweet Love was a bop and the album was nice to chill out to

Short album I wouldn’t mind making a few babies to. Great vocals. The 80s romantic soul sound is very easy listening. Now I know why Kanye and Jamie Fox consider her a Slow Jam.

great voice, has aged decently. easy breezy listening jazz. faves: no one in the world, same ole love, watch your step.

A very uninspired assortment of supermarket music. While Baker’s voice is powerful and bursting with emotion, this is somewhat undermined by the obnoxiously synthetic 80s production which capes every track in a layer of aural polythene. It’s hard to treat anything Baker sings about with any sincerity when she’s surrounded by such artificiality. Additionally, I would argue the songs just aren’t there on this album and they don’t amount to anything remotely consequential. Why this is so acclaimed is beyond me. Not fun. Not interesting. Takes itself way too seriously. It’s a begrudging 1 out of 5 from me.

nah

Вот этот соул точно по душе: музыка ближе к нью-вейву, альбом бы переслушал.

Music for divorced housewives who were born in about 1953, bored of their Cliff Richard and The Shadows LPs and wanting to listen to something feminine, contemporary and hip (but not too much). In other words, complete & utter mush. Even her admittedly soulful vocals cannot rescue it. I had to press the stop button before the end of track 2. 🤮

Unlistenable

This was terrible when it came out, and the years since haven't been kind. Awful.

Just brain-melting goo.

Whilst she does have an authentic soulful voice - and Sweet Love is an excellent song, (that I had forgotten about) - the rest of the album feels like it should be relegated to 80s telephone waiting music. I suspect if she was around a decade (or two) earlier, then would have been much more appreciated. 2.5

Baker has a nice voice but none of these songs really stood out to me

For me this is the best embodiment of the R&B quiet storm that was very popular in the 80s. A perfect late night album - it doesn't sound very 80s. There are too many classic, retro touches - R&B with a dash of jazz (especially her scat singing). She sounds older than her years (28) and more experienced (her second album) throughout. It is what every soul album in the 80s aspired to live up to. I can't think of one that came close.

Smooth sounding R&B. She has a strong voice and delivers these songs really well. Just a bit too "Adult Contemporary" for me, so giving this a 3. Need that half star option as it would have gotten 3.5.

Anita Baker does have a very good voice that takes from jazz and gospel and brings it into what was then contemporary R&B (especially well showcased on "Watch Your Step), but the whole album sounds incredibly dated. Unfortunately a lot of 80s albums just have not aged well and though this is not her fault, it's very noticeable throughout. On the positive side I do respect the 8 track length and the cohesive vibe created here. No track is out of place or a waste of time, but I don't think I'd listen to this again

Classic. Brings me back to my childhood riding in my folks car.

Too much for me. Sweet sweetness

Well that was sublime 🥰 Perfect for an evening curled on the sofa in front of a fire with the love of your life, with a glass or two of your favourite tipple. Lovely

Sleek soul from the 80s - didn't really dig it, 'tho it all sounds good.

Soultastic. She'd a lovely voice, and were I trying to seduce a woman in the 1980s I might even have put this on the stereo. Instead, it is the 2020s, and such things are probably "a bit cringe". So I'll listen to it once. Appreciate her voice and then move on with my life.

My original review got deleted by 'human error'. To summarize, this style of music isn't my thing, but I ended up liking it more than I expected. I wonder how many children born in late 1986 / early 1987 were conceived to this album. 3/5.

I don't know, she has a good voice, I guess. This 80s R&B is just so cheesy, though. It's all drum machines, shallow lyrics, and saxophone solos. I was glad when it was over. She has a good voice, though, so there's that.

80's sloooow jams. It won two Grammys, so there is that.

Maybe an inspiration for 90s r&b. Some decent bass at parts but overall pretty bland. Nothing really sticks out in this album

So cool and sensual

dunno, sounds decent, needed more time

Its hard to rate this. Brilliant voice, immaculate production. Everything polished. Decent songs but its all a bit smooth. Its very good at what it does but its all so safe and nice. 80s soul queen. 3.5

4/5. Hard not to fall in love with this album. Smooth and amazing.

Not my thing at all. Good for what it is, but I don’t want to listen to what it is.

This may sound cruel but it sounds like the end of every early 80s rom-com credit. Another one of these albums that is just not my taste.

Muy buena voz con grandes acompañamientos e instrumentos. Voz templada y calmada

Throwback to the sax solo.

A little smooth and maybe too MOR for how I was feeling today.

Phenomenal. I've always loved her voice and her music.

That was a nice album and she had a powerful voice!

Very smooth soul. Some jazzy scatting. Good voice, and very accomplished performance, but nothing apart from Sweet Love is really gripping me. Pity, because this was in all the shop windows for a year or so when it came out and won lots of awards. I'm giving a 3 because it is well sung and smoothly made, but not a soul record I'm going to reach for again.

Anita can really sing and there is no questioning that. However, the issue is that the music did not really appeal to me. No songs really stick out as a must listen. Although I will not listen to it ever again, I will round up.

Anita is smooth. A little too mid-tempo/bland, but she’s a queen for a reason. 2.5 but rounding up for the icon.

Sweet, sweet smooth 80s R&B. Love this stuff. Best tracks are the ones with Freddie Washington on bass. That guy grooves. Saddened to read that Don Myrick, who was in the original Earth, Wind & Fire horn section and the sax soloist on 'You Bring Me Joy' was murdered by a police officer who mistook his lighter for a weapon. In better news, I read that Anita Baker has regained the rights to her music so fingers crossed all her records will be available for streaming soon.

Had this, loved it, but actually, loved just a couple of them. I seem to have gone past this kind of music now

Старый добрый соул в отличном исполнении. Так и хочется налить вина и посидеть при свечах. 6 из 10

nice, pop-y, I like it. short album as well so an easy listen.

Rapture is Anita Baker's second album, and it's her breakout album. It won two Grammy's, was certified platinum, and the first track "Sweet Love" won the 1987 Grammy for Best R&B Song. This was a popular album in the late 80's among adult R&B fans, especially black fans. Baker has an amazing singing voice and that's what made this album so special. I did not find this album to be good, but that's because I am not a fan of slow, soulful, R&B music. However, I can appreciate a great singing voice.

not interested

Un petit moment de fraîcheur

franchement un kiff sauf à la fin

It's okay. I can't really judge the album fully since Spotify omitted like three of the tracks, but I got the gist of it. After getting the Sade album two days ago, I realized that I kind of like this era of R&B before Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson ushered it into the 90s. This isn't on the level of the Sade album, but it's not bad.

Nice R&B and soul album. Starts with a killer opening track! The songs after weren't that exciting, but this album might be worth it for a second listening.

Beautiful voice

Probably a nice 4-star cafe soundtrack, you know, pleasant enough, and reliable. Fave track is Same Old Love, but no idea why spotify has it listed as (365 Days a Week).

Relaxte muziek, mooie stem! ***

Decent

Mixed feelings about this one. First four tracks were very not good and then then last four tracks were maybe very good. I like her voice in the lower register and not so much in her higher registers. Love all the cheesy FM synths.

Didn't enjoy this much. Has aged in the worst way. She has a great voice but I didn't think she really took advantage of that on this album

That bass is killer. That's about it. kind of like a knock off diana ross

-Able to find 5/8 songs on Spotify. Deducted a point. -Nice soul music with great singing and solid instrumentals. Never got too crazy or anything. -Potentially 3 stars if the album was on Spotify

She has a nice voice. Easy to listen to love songs. Very 80s sound. Overall not something that I would regularly listen to, but I'm happy to have listened to it and broaden my horizons.

I loved this. Anita's voice is so beautiful and soulful.

Great voice, probably heard this a thousand times when it came out in the background. Very 80s!

Very cool. I’ve heard so many of these songs before as a youth. Same Ole Love is a hidden banger.

Cheesy love songs

Ms. Baker is obviously a very talented singer but these songs and frankly this whole genre is so dull to get through. I can understand why others might enjoy it but it's a hard pass for me

This brought me back to my days of working as an office temp in the early 90s with smooth adult contemporary radio stations so often playing in the background. "Spending the workday with your favorites from the seventies, eighties, and today!" It was never music I chose, but it was always music that was there. And today I realized I kind of miss it. Although it's never been in my nostalgia collections, it's been long enough that it was a pleasure to listen to and it took me back in time in a good way. It feels like a lavish 80s soap opera with elegant ladies in sparkling evening dresses. It's a grown-uppy kind of thing our society doesn't seem to do anymore. Is there still sumptuous music like this being made nowadays? Although this was yesterday's background music, this album has stood out in this project as something special!

This album was familiar and soothing. Anita Baker’s voice is a treat and the easy-listening style of the music felt like a gentle massage. I think I prefer this silky delight mixed with some variety of other artists, as the album as a whole felt just a little under-seasoned for me.

Ahhhhhhh, what a voice! Sweet and smooth like silky honey. Released just as I was starting college, this seemed like music for old people to me. I guess I'm old now because it just sounded great today. A genuine treat.

After Murder Ballads on one day and noise rock the next, the 1001 Album Gods took mercy on my ears with a quiet storm of perfect 80s soul. This was just the musical hug I had no idea I was needing. The production is spot on. This is music for a romantic evening in a swanky blue-lit nightclub sipping on a cocktail as the conversation grows more and more intimate. Sax-forward and butter-smooth, RAPTURE is an unexpectedly wonderful addition to my night.

Groovy, but kinda boring. Not bad but nothing really bringing me back here at all.

A perfect middle of the road

Before this record, I had never heard the name quiet storm, the genre to which this album apparently belongs (I knew about the genre, just not the name). The brief potted history of quiet storm goes: in the 70s, with African-American audiences for soul music growing older, along with more and more African-Americans entering the middle class, suburbia and college, there emerged a market for a form of soul music more apposite for this upwardly-mobile demographic. That is, they sought an easy, Vaseline-smooth, uncontroversial soul music as a pleasant background sound to lovemaking. Taking its name from a radio show, which in turn took its name from a rather lovely Smokey Robinson number, quiet storm proved insanely lucrative throughout the 80s, yet it has never shaken the reputation of artificiality, of using the tools of soul to create product rather than soul. I have never been fond of that overproduced, anaemic style which became the dominant form of mainstream soul in the 80s. Partially it is the sense that this is soul for the Reagan era, of Reagan-approved soul. Many of the greats of 60s and 70s soul (Jame Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, etc.) often had a civil-rights-era political dimension to their music, but 80s soul largely abstracted itself from that aspect. But that is not the issue here. Simply, all heart has been sapped from the music. The production has aged as well as Jacko’s legacy, and that smooth soul plus smooth jazz leaves the listener with nothing to hold on. Tragically, Anita Baker is an obviously talented singer, who happened to come to prominence after the golden age of soul. Individual moments strike the listener, but it requires the listener to sift. I accept that part of the 1001 exercise is to cover a gamut of Anglo-American popular music, but that does mean it occasionally throws up prominent albums from iffy genres. In American Psycho, the protagonist Patrick Bateman devotes a chapter to his appreciation of Whitney Houston (who does not have an album on this list, by the by), just after describing a sexually sadistic murder. He characterises Whitney as the greatest jazz singer of her generation, and tells the reader of the dignity and sincerity inherent to her debut album. Of course, this is meant satirically. We recognise that we are meant to mock Patrick for his abysmal taste and his facile justifications (which seem cribbed from music critics, indicating Patrick’s obsession with conforming), with the implicit message that Whitney’s music, and by extension quiet storm, is largely a cold, barren wasteland. Anita Baker had the misfortune to sow her seed on that wasteland. That said, in the wake of Whitney’s death, there has been more of an appreciation of her abilities as a singer, but not to the extent that it has prompted a critical reassessment of her 80s work. And yes, I know it is unusual to spend so much time talking about Whitney Houston in an Anita Baker review, but it underscores my point: sometimes genres should just be left to rot. Or are we all clamouring for the return of the teen death ballad?

It's a slab of 80's soul. Right up there with the very best slabs of 80's soul.

She's got an excellent voice and puts it to good use on this album. I'm just not a fan of this style of music, but I'll still listen. Some okay songs, but I have no need to buy this. Thank you streaming sites.

I bought this at the time and enjoyed it a great deal at the time. I rarely feel the urge to hear it these days but it's still a good album with plenty to offer if you're in the mood. One of those One Album Artists, though, at least in terms of commercial success in the UK.

Really good album. 3.5 / 5

3.5 - The genre designation “quiet storm” perfectly evokes the vibe on this album. The sound is very dated but it’s comforting. I’m reminded of being a kid, holding my dad’s hand as our family spends a leisurely afternoon strolling around at the high-end mall in our neighboring town. It feels safe, warm and worry-free. I probably won’t return to this particular album but I enjoyed the memories it brought back.

Beautiful voice, soulful music. Good album!

3-; great voice, nice instrumentals, album wasn't too long, great experience but could be better

Wow. Still a winner

I don’t know at first I was assigning between a two or three but honestly her voice kind of just annoyed me she has a very good voice but notes just made me mad for some reason

This album was everywhere in ~1987 - as a teen into hard rock at the time it's safe to say I ignored it. :) ...and while it's still not necessarily my favourite [it's a bit smooth for my personal tastes] for what it is, it does sound freaking fantastic. Anita Baker is a great singer who didn't necessarily sound like anyone else but still was very accessible. Maybe it was her slightly-lower register or husky timbre; it definitely sits above others for me in the genre (contrast with wailing soprano vocalists of the day that I definitely still don't care for) and despite a general same-ness to the album, it's short enough (~38 minutes) to not really drag much at all. Again on a personal level, it would have been nice overall to hear more of the musicians/instruments reaching a bit - it's a very "safe" album musically which no doubt was the intent. If you're more into any instrumental flights of fancy over vocals, like me you might knock it down a few pegs. Having said that, this is objectively an excellent soft-soul album. 7/10 4 stars

Always enjoy her voice great collection of songs

“An acquired but enduring taste.” Smooth.

So sweet that I think I might get diabetes. It is soft R&B infused with Jazzy vibes. Super cheesy, easy listening, but, you know, it is cute. And thankfully the album isn't that long (36 minutes), which makes it easier to sit through - would probably give it one rank lower if it was 10 minutes longer.

A good album but not really a great one

10/10 based af

Ahhh 80s-90s sex music. Nothing bad to say about it except that the full album wasn't on spotify and out of order on youtube so I probably didn't get the intended listening experience

Nice smooth soul that is otherwise ruined by cheesy 80's production. These synths are doing more harm than good.

Beautiful voice but seems dated and very adult contempo

Dance floors and neon lights, Anita Baker's 'Rapture' is soulful pop with a tinge of R&B. 1980s pop production called for reverb-heavy drums and hall vocals, all accompanied by a simple 4/4 beat - this album delivers just that, providing some predictability. However, Baker's vocals is graceful and soulful, fitting the musical description of what the music wishes.

This is miles away from what I normally listen to. Certainly not offensive, but unlikely to revisit!

Really not for me, maybe some value as backing music in a romantic film but not one to listen to on its own

I really, really don't get along with this type of music. I won't give it one star because 'Sweet Love' is a good song and because objectively it's probably not that bad... it's a close-run thing though.

Great voice and Sweet Love is a brilliant song. Much of the rest of the album washed over me. No standouts but I enjoyed it. 3.5 stars. I'll round up to 4

Absolutely blown away by Anita's beautiful voice. This old school RnB was such a breath of fresh air and it will be in heavy rotation for me.

Comparing R&B here to the 60s, it is night and day. Nina and Aretha in the 60s make you feel something. Anita’s album has a strong vocal performance with perfect production, but it takes itself too seriously and ultimately feels lifeless. Nothing to hate, but it hardly goes beyond an average score for an R&B record.

Easy listening for the background but the songs itself were too similar to not make this another decent album that will be forgotten after a few days

Smoky and lovely voice

Ok cute little album, not amazing. 3,5 but rounding down because I probably won't put it on again.

Beautiful voice, but difficult to rate for me. Most songs are nice, but I'm not sure that I'd ever really seek them out. Same Ole Love was definitely a stand-out, though.

Great album!

My bias again, but this sounds like love songs suited for Sunday school. No edge, and honestly, no heart really. It's like powerfully proclaiming your eternal love for the most generic and vanilla concepts in the cosmos. This strikes just as much of a passionate connection as with a rejection form letter - "...but at this time we won’t be able to invite you to the next stage of the hiring process. We wish you the best in your future endeavors." That could easily be the lyrics from this record.

As has been the case before, I fail to see what's so special about this album. At least with this one, it's not from a genre I'm familiar with.

great voice, lame cheessy production.

Never heard of Anita Baker before. Not for me.

couldn't finish

3/5 too sensual for my taste

What a voice.

This album was incomplete and scrambled for me on spotify. So take this rating with a grain of salt.

Lovely. Zach lip-synchs her so well: https://youtu.be/kFjRyVjFVFE

TIL: Quiet storm is a subgenre of R&B — and I’m lovin’ every minute of it.

80's soft soul and R&B. The type of music that gets played when Tom Selleck is looking deep into the eyes of Steve Guttenberg. Best Tracks: Sweet Love; Caught Up in the Rapture; No One in the World

Soul. Ni fu ni fa.

Mf doom samples the first track. That was sort of the highlight for me. I do miss the time when big pop diva albums sound like Sega genesis tracks

Definitely a solid pop album

Really beautiful album. I will give Anita Baker more of a listen.

Canta muy bien. Un disco agradable. 3.

definitely not bad but far from my tastes.

Not for me.

Lovely jazz bass. I got pretty excited for the first thirty seconds, but the rest of the album was too sleepy and schmaltzy. Wouldn't be on my version of this list = 2.

0 sterren?

Mja, iets te glad voor mijn smaak. Bijna elevator music.

Aalglad.

Niet zo spannend.

Sweet Love is a good song, rest of the tracks are ok, but slightly forgettable

Groovy, bluesy, but doesn't stand out for me. A bit adult contemporary and bland, but good for an 80s background groove.

No es para mí.

Gran voz, gran instrumentación y duración corta. En cuanto lo escuchas, percibes los 80. Mood: mellow

Baker’s vocals are outstanding, but the backing tracks fail to live up to the vox with their dated synths (the drums and sax still rip tho)

Yeah, hunh? Easy listening is an album I must listen to before I die?

Это полный восторг!

Half the album not on Spotify so this unfortunately only gets one listen on YouTube. Really like the opening track and thought this was a great listen, but the tracks bled together a bit for me. Still something I think I would return to more if it was on Spotify Saved: Sweet Love*, You Bring Me Joy

Adult Contemporary. It’s only for adults. Don’t you dare listen to this kids, it’s for the adults. This is the music that’s playing on a paint stained boom box in your neighborhoods open garage. It’s a hot Sunday afternoon in early September. Your neighbor’s dad has half their Chevy in pieces in the driveway and he’s covered in oil stains. He’s smoked a pack of cigs and crushed a 12 pack of Miller highlife before the late games kicked off. This is the album he’s listening to while he curses at the old truck. I haven’t listened to it yet (or checked that it exists) but I know Anita Baker has a great Christmas Album. 3/5. Good to know Baker.

Really nice beautiful album. Soothing voice. Really pleasant front to back

Nice voice. Not my style music hard to be objective.

A significant portion of this is just 80s easy listening with a nicer than normal voice on top. Best track: Watch Your Step

Exquisit disc de r&b/pop amb producció totalment vuitentera, però que en aquest cas encaixa com un guant amb les composicions de fàcil escolta, on destaca la poderosa veu d'Anita Baker, que va ser arribar i moldre, però que endavant mai va aconseguir arribar a les cotes, de qualitat i ventes, de 'Rapture'

Mellow

I do enjoy this kind of soul music sometimes. It's a little cheesy in places, but still some great tunes

Only a few songs were on Spotify, but from what I heard I did not like it. Boring, annoying 80 RnB.

July 20, 2021 Her voice is beautiful, and there are songs I like on here. An easy listen, although not my preferred genre(s). Great ambiance.

When I was 15, my uncle gave me a cassette of this album for Christmas. As a proper Smiths-listening weirdo of the mid ‘80s, I really didn’t get it, nor did I have an interest in getting it. I obviously wasn’t mature enough for this kind of music at the time, but I can say that I appreciate it now. This is classic R&B mood music of the old school. Baker’s vocals are immaculate and the production is flawless. This is a great album to relax with. Favorite tracks: “Sweet Love,” and “Caught Up in the Rapture.”

You can tell it's quality and I enjoyed some of the songs but it's just not my thing so I gave it a 2.

Classy. Don't like it. I'm not classy.

Great

Not for me

Boring Her voice is impressive but the songs...nothing interesting. The arrangements just studio-made formulaic muzak. Nothing about any of it says to me that these are real people making real music. The antithesis of everything I crave from music.

What'd the overworked pastry chef say to the restaurant owner? Anita Baker! In the late 80's this was the best album to play when hoping to seduce your young Wall Street assistant while doing lines of coke on your mirrored coffee table. Fortunately, unfortunately Spotify only provided access to five of the songs, probably due to licensing issues. So, my rating may have been higher if somehow the rest of the album sounded nothing like those first few...

Album was not on Spotify apparently due to the artist's request. I was able to track it down and give most of it a listen

Baker's Rapture helped define contemporary R&B from the mid-80s onwards. She's a sexy singer, and the use of jazz and synth accommodates for smooth, easy listening that gives off calm 80s nostalgia. "Sweet Love" and "Captured in the rapture of love" are my favorites, and other first side tracks appealed, but I felt the tracks sounded too much like each other, and hardly contrasted each other in subject matter or technique. But that's fine. It's not a masterpiece, and her fanbase tends to hit a very targeted audience, but this album is a soothing, luxurious listen, and that's enough for me to give a re-listen in the future.

It's hard to listen to a full album of just one genre of music in the 80s, as a lot of the songs blend together. This doesn't take away from the vocals and heavy jazz/soul feel she creates, but the songs mesh together in a sort of bad way. Its listenable, but is it as enjoyable if there was more variety in the sound?

Sweet Love is a classic I forgot about. It immediately made me nostalgic for my mom's friend's station wagon in ways I don't understand completely. The rest of the album is beautifully sung, if predictable. It is soft, like a unicorn baby blanket. Nice, but maybe not for me.

Not bad, but not my scene.

There’s that one song which I didn’t much like and then the rest I liked even less.

Not my deal, but nice voice and production

can’t listen not on spotify- gave avg rating

Beautiful voice, and a great soul album.

Good R&B. Not my typical genre, so nothing really stood out to me.

I was bored. Anita Baker has a great voice, nothing can be taken away on that account. But the keyboard-driven style of this kind of 80s stuff does nothing for me. That was a lot of generic songs about love too - I wish the writing could measure up to her voice.

While Anita Baker has a nice voice and these songs are perfectly fine, I don't find anything revelatory about this album. I can't say I've ever thought "I'd like to hear an Anita Baker song now" or ever heard one of the hits from it and thought "Wow! What a great song!" The chime-y keyboard sounds, along with some of the other production, place it squarely in the 80s soft-pop genre, and it's unfortunately mostly forgetable.

Great voice, the 80s easy listening is not my thing.

I imagine this is an album that was played on many occasions in the late 1980s to signal it was time for sexy times. The slinky bass and emphatic saxophone layers say “Hey there, are you thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?” Ms. Baker’s mesmerizing vocals say “Yes, let’s get down.” According to expert resource cosmopolitan magazine (2017), the average sex session lasts 19 minutes, including foreplay. Rapture clocks in at 38 minutes…plenty of time.

couldn't get past the first song

Anita Baker sure can sing. Beautiful voice. The mid 80s adult contemporary production is what makes this a 3 out of 5 for me. Not really my cup of tea even if I really enjoyed certain touches like a fun bass line here, great sax solo there. Won't be revisiting anytime soon but I'll definitely always remember Baker's voice.

R&B, pretty good

Not for me.

Awful smooth and overproduced 1980s soul that aged terribly.

What a great voice, and recognized Sweet Love. All and all a nice album to listen to. I'm giving it a 3 only because it is a bit sedate for my liking.

Good R&B album....unfortunate that Spotify doesn't have 3 of the songs so couldn't give it a proper listen

most of it was not on spotofy but liked what I heard

Not quite my thing, but it is a powerful soul album. Anita's got chops.

no thanks

cant find it anywhere??

Ok

smooth, slinky, just not my taste though

Standard generic 80s sickly soul. Nothing memorable or worth noting.

Dire

Liked the first track. The rest became increasingly annoying

Not for me.

It was okay.

achei que seria melhor

A 4 or a 5. Oh what the hell

Not my jam. Feels very 80's.

Good. Just not feeling it.

i don’t dig this kinda music at all

I really liked this one. Not my genre but like Isaac Hayes I learned maybe it is.

R&B music sung by a powerful voice, this album sits along side of its contemporaries in Tina Turner, Sade, Whitney Houston & others. Unfortunately, Baker doesn't display the same range or creativity that these others do. As a result, while solid, this album comes up short when compared to classics.

Interesting album cover, makes you wonder what instruction the photographer gave during the shoot. Lovely album.

Dull.

Nice and upbeat but not my kinda thing. Best track: No One in the World

I somewhat liked it. Very pleasant to listen to while working. But not something I'd listen to with full attention.

Chill. Good. Understated. Feels familiar. Morning vibes.

Nice little album. Basically Smooth Radio manifested in album form. I knew Sweet Love but none of the others. Best song: Same Ole Love.

Some ok songs, sounds very dated though and ended up being background music

Stinks

Fucking dreadful. Hated all of it.

Generic.

Same Ole Shite (365 days a week)

Steengoeie zangers! Maar niet direct een album dat ik opnieuw zou opleggen

Not for me, sorry

great voice, some of the tracks just felt a little lacking in energy and could have used something to push their sound more. not bad though, 3/5

I tried to like this, but I’m just not a big fan of R&B.

Such a wonderful change of pace. Really lovely to listen to while doing school work.

Perv music. If you’re a perv, you’ll love it.

Eh, its okay. 0RS

8M people bought this. Like aural mogadon. Boring / bland meh 80s soul. even the hits are boring.

good 80s r&b. 8/10