Rapture

Ok album. Nothing groundbreaking

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.

Pas mon genre mais écoutable.

Great vocals but sonically just not for me at all, all a bit one paced and tedious.

Boring ass album. Great voice but otherwise very mediocre. 4/10

Decent enough 80s pop

Beautiful voice but not my cup of tea.

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.

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.

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.

Very middle of the road 80’s soul, not sure why this needs to be on the list.

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

2.5 Girl has one song, said sang differently each time.

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.

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

meh

Gute Stimme, seichte Arrangements

Blind album and artist. Short and boring. Too calm for me. This would belong on a generic CD compilation set.

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.

A nice listen is about as much praise as I can give this one

Pretty music, that I’m just not into.

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.)

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.

Decent record. Sweet Love is a classic, but the rest of it is pretty blah.

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...

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

I mean... this must be pretty close to peak 80's schmaltz, right?

Soft-rock cheese. Meh.

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.

I can confidently say that my mother probably loved this album. As for me, quiet storm is not my type of genre.

Zzzzz

Laadukas ja tyylikäs toki, mut tylsä

Meh.

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.

Jaja

A little too easy-listening for me.

it's not for me.

Was probably 2 stars

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

It's OK I guess. It's not really my kinda music.

Only had a quick listen but nothing pulled me back for another go.

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.

<Radio voice> Now, the best romantic directly from the 80s. Here are your favorite songs. Just at the 102Mhz </Radio voice>

not bad but boring soul

This was fine. Felt like something I would hear at a JCPenney in like the late 90s.

Beautiful voice, but the songs are just not good.

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.

Too smooth 2/5

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.

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

The 80s were a mistake.

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.

This album displays a beautiful voice that was caught in the trap of uninspired, cheesy 80s music.

Ok, so I can see how some people would appreciate this M.O.R. soul record. Not me though, this was pish.

2.5

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

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

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.

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.

Not my cup of tea.

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

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

It’s very good at its job

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.

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.

Too smooth.

Great voice but doesn't blow me away.

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

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.

I didn't notice anything in particular

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

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

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.

Eh

nah

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

Too much for me. Sweet sweetness

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

A good album but not really a great one

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

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.

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.

couldn't finish

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

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

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.

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

Aalglad.

Niet zo spannend.

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.

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)

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

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

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.

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...

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.

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.

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

Not for me.

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

Liked the first track. The rest became increasingly annoying

achei que seria melhor

Good. Just not feeling it.

i don’t dig this kinda music at all

Dull.

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

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

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

Eh, its okay. 0RS

I was thrilled about the prospect of listening an 80's quiet storm album, but this ended up being too poppy and overtly polished for my tastes. Had this been a Latin American album, it would've been part of a telenovela soundtrack.

Tried to listen. Decent.

Hele goede zang, maar te hoog boomer gehalte

Awful and horribly dated. DNF.

Decent but fairly forgettable. A great voice, but no 'wow' factor.

Not on spotify. Didn't listen.

Very sweet and easy listening, "Sweet Love" is indeed a very relaxing bop and Anita has such an amazing voice! Not a thing I'd ever return to, but I dig listening to it :)

Bland. I mean, clearly the woman can sing, but really it goes nowhere, does nothing exciting that we haven't all heard a billion times before. Even in 1986 when this was released it was tedious and overdone. I gave it a 2 to be a bit polite.

A bit too sappy for me! But some nice 80s tunes

It was ok

2,5/5

My gawd, this is some terrible music...

Sure, she's got a good voice, but the music here is everything I don't like about 80s adult contemporary. It's vague, lacks momentum, and relies too much on the synth to create an "atmosphere."

She has a nice voice, but the music is severely lacking to the point of being unlistenable.

what a whiney load of kak

A haiku: Happy for people That love Anita's music. Twas a chore for me.

Compared to almost everyone I know, my musical taste is much narrower in what I like and what I will listen to. One of the reasons I am doing this is to see if there is anything else out there I might like. One of the great disappointments of this list, is so far, not really. I thought jazz or jazz types would be a possibility. I like jazz components in rock. But another jazz type performer is a hard pass for me. Sorry Anita, but 1.0 is all I can give this.

The type of shit they’d be playing at the hotel bar in Young & The Restless soap opera show (IYKYK) LOL. Jesus. Why did I think Anita Baker was goated before going into this? Is this past her prime? This is lifeless mall music. Talk about no substance behind the music. R&B without the soul. Is this shit even R&B? It’s a shame, she’s clearly a very talented vocalist. Also- you’re telling me this won Grammys and sold 8 million copies? The late 80’s and 90’s were so shit for this kind of music man. It all sounds the same. I don’t even need to bump more to know that either, I’ve grown up in Yonkers and JC Penny enough to know LOL.

Pish

Excelente voz y producción musical. Peeeero... Tuve que suspender la escucha en You Bring Me Joy. No me gusta esta música.

Dull

First time I listened to this album and it will also be the last time. 8 songs that basicly sound all the same. Well in my opinion of course. Didn't enjoyed this one for one minute. 1/5

Black people cookout music

Not available to listen to.

2/10

Der er dælme ikke meget kant at skære sig på her

tipico pop romantico de mujer negra con buena voz cantando, finales de los 80, me gusta 0, no reconozco ninguna, 1/5

I never actually heard the term Quiet Storm before, but I guess that's the name for this style of 80's Muzak-inspired slow jams for mom music. I do not enjoy it. The songs are cheesy, and the arrangements are even cheesier. 0.5 stars.

Not for me. I dont think its objectively bad but I did not enjoy listening.

Just can't get into this kind of music

Anita baker? More like I-need-a break-from-her! This is the music they play in 80s movies during sex scenes that go on longer than they need to. A bit dull.

Boring.

I gotta have more chimes…

Ei

Of all the amazing R&B albums, why did this make the list. She has an incredible voice, but the songs were mid in the 80s and haven’t aged well since then.

Scratching my brain for a hypothetical situation where I would ever put this music on again. Umm? Trying to bond with my future Chinese mother in law who speaks no English while we sit in silence in the shared cabin of a cruise ship passing round the Cape of Good Hope

Just really wasn't feeling it. Maybe it's because spotify only had half the album and it came the day after another soul album, but I was just incredibly sick of hearing "I miss you" sung over and over and over and over again

This is the soundtrack for the end credits of every single movie in the 90s and for that reason, I'm out.

This is really not my thing. Sweet Love aside this is just so saccharine it is sickening. The synths are so eighties. ‘Been so Long’ is frankly irritating.

Look, she has a great voice and I don't mind track 1, which I already knew very well, but otherwise this fundamentally full of the type of schmaltzy 80s stuff I really don't enjoy. So much of the popular music in the 80s sounds so dated, it's fascinating to me - I've heard much older albums doing this project which sound like they could have been released yesterday. But the 80s just has a *sound* - even the 80s albums I adore sound so of their time. I think it's mostly the synths and keyboards. Unfortunately this wasn't an 80s album I adored. And I feel mean giving it this score, but I found it such a slog to get through, so it's an inevitable: 1/5

Elle a une belle voix. Elle a beau avoir été une des chanteuses de soul et R&B les plus populaires des années 80, cet album de ballades et de chansons romantiques relaxes viennent pas du tout me chercher. On est entre le 1 et le 2.

Honestly don’t know why this is on the list. So bland, smooth and safe. There’s a gem of a good song here and there, and the melody’s are ok, but it’s buried beneath this schmaltz and chocolate box production

Nope, not for me. Overproduced, holier-than-thou gospelslop.

I thought Anita Baker was like an Aretha Franklin or Roberta Flack type deal. She's not. She's on the forefront of a music style I just learned, quiet storm (Quiet storm is a radio format and genre of R&B, performed in a smooth, romantic, jazz-influenced style)... Anyways, other than the name sounding like some kind of suburban Aryan alliance, quiet storm sucks. It sounds lik CHFI 98.1 on weekend mornings with the smell of Pine Sol in the air and my mother's incessant huffing as she shows me a hundredth time how to properly dust the top of an unused piano.

I recognize this opening track. I know people love this. To me it just feels like easy listening background music. So an album is uneventful when it ends and autoplay kicks in and you don’t notice.

Really didn’t like this one, i’m not a fan of this type of music. Fav song is ‘No One in the World’.

Kaufhausmusik

Попса((( За що?

1+ Star (3/15)

It wasn’t as bad as Mariah Carey but damn thus was bad.

meh, 2/10

That awful glossy production drowns any hint of an interesting sound or song regardless of how good her voice or any of the musicians are. At least I learned about the quiet storm, but I will stay far away from it.

Overall very boring, not my kind of music. This is 80s pop, especially 80s black woman pop. Nothing about it, nothing at all, struck me as exceptional or different in any way from mass popular hits (except being less successful and catchy).

Honestly, I was expecting to enjoy this based on the cover photo and the "Jazz" label. I would never describe this as Jazz, because I like Jazz. Not sure what is going on here. What this appears to be is something called "Quiet Storm", which I gather is a style of soul with all the rough edges filed off; designed to appeal to people who were interesting back in the day, but by the 80s had decided to be boring. Anita Baker clearly has a good voice, I just don't know why she would do anything this dull with it. Some of these songs might be good if you retooled them, but the production on this album is so artificial and shiny that it sounds dated compared to music from several decades earlier. Maybe if you grew up with this kind of music it has a different impact. I don't know. I struggled to make it through. Judging by the fact that I have never heard of Anita Baker before now, I'd have to say this album has not stood the test of time. 1.5 rounded DOWN due to my vast disappointment.

Couldn’t find the album

Nevidím veľké rozdiely medzi hudbou - zvukom A. B. a inými speváčkami z 80-tych rokov, akoby zvuk robili v jednom štúdiu... Nič zvláštne, trochu viac jazzu v tomto sladkom pole.

Nearly put me in a coma

Mucho gusto, Anita. Si Dios quiere no te vuelvo a escuchar.

Crapture

fuck, why??

Langweilig und völlig Highlightlos

1.5 - not for me

pass

Smooth, slow-burning grooves built from warm electric piano, soft synth pads, restrained drum programming, and Anita Baker’s plush, velvety vocals move this quiet storm R&B album like sinking into an overstuffed leather armchair—luxurious and calming at first until it suffocates you in its smoothness.

Just dulll

Thanks, I hate it

Nope

Ik heb James Taylor gister even gepakt voor de lekker terwijl ik een boekje zat te lezen, waardoor ik nu achter elkaar Tina Turner en Anita Baker zit te luisteren. Dat is gewoon niet handig. Ik moet zeggen dat ik bij track 1 van dit album bijna waardering zou gaan krijgen voor Tina Turner. En dat kan toch niet de bedoeling zijn. Ons Anita doet af en toe iets met haar stem waardoor ze letterlijk klinkt als een verstandelijk beperkte. Bijvoorbeeld in track 1 bij de tweede 'love' in de zin "I'm in love, sweet love" en ook de 'name' in de zin daarna. Ik denk dat het de Amerikaanse variant van de Hazes snik is of iets dergelijks. Ik hoopte dat dat exclusief voorbehouden zou zijn aan track 1, maar helaas, ik hoor het bij meerdere tracks en het leidt af. Naast dat dit, de trouwe volgers zullen het inmiddels weten, sowieso niet helemaal mijn decennium en mijn muziek is. Ik heb hier gewoon niet zoveel geduld voor. Ik denk ook niet dat dit per se in deze lijst hoeft te staan en ik heb m'n goede wil al getoond bij tante Tina zojuist. Ik geef dit één ster, waarbij ik wel wil zeggen dat het tegen een twee aan schurkt.

Didn’t find this very exciting or interesting

Genuinely hated this. Saccharine and dated. Possibly influential on Sade… and that’s not an influence you want to have. Absolute twaddle.

This was a horrible listen. Awful, overproduced soul/R&B/adult contemporary blandness. Same saccharine love topics in each of the songs end up saying so little about the human condition. A bit of light and shade might have helped but this was awful musak. Baker’s voice itself was good, but hated everything else about it.

Sweet Love lyrics is like a parody to all the love songs ever written.

Contemporary 80’s overproduction. I can’t

‘Sweet Love,’ oh yeah! However, after that track, I had a hard time staying engaged with the one.

1. love -1.5 2. joy -1.5 3. rapture - 1.5 4. zame - 1

Feels cliched

This is soul’s version of easy listening, all the rough edges have been filed down.

Don’t care for soulful R&B

Didn't love it but accoording to chatgpt (because I was too lazy): Songtitel | Wordcount „love“ Sweet Love | 5 You Bring Me Joy | 1 Caught Up In The Rapture | 5 Been So Long | 6 Mystery | 4 No One In The World | 1 Same Ole Love (365 Days a Year) | 9 Watch Your Step 0 (oh wow!) Total:31 ´Get some new topics maybe!

The cheesy 80s instrumentation absolutely kills this for me. Of all the great soul recorded this being on here is baffling to me

Not that this is bad. her voice is incredible, but it's got those cheesy 80's keyboard sounds. when i think of super cheesy and overwrought 80's R&B this is a perfect example.

When I was working in a mall, Anita's songs were played on loop resulting in me linking these songs to capitalism and entitlement. Not her fault but I just can't.

Nothing here for me - I think this kind of adult contemporary is just not my thing at all. Baker's vocal performance might be good but absent any interesting songs it's like breaking out the fancy dishware to eat plain yogurt.

Just not for me.

terrible human

Not for me. 1/5

I was a senior in high school when this came out and even after listening to it I don't remember it. Utterly forgettable

I zoned out for all of it. There was finally a song that caught my attention but it was Spotify playing the Spinners after the album ended

this had a really difficult time holding my attention. also 365 days a week is too many.

I had heard this name but didn't recognize any of the songs, nor do I still remember them now. It just makes me think of that meme format: "Mom, can we have Sade? But darling, we already have Sade at home. Sade at home: "

Cheesy, dated 80s r&b sound. Baker has a stunning voice and there’s some cool bass, but overall this is something I’m just not interested in.

Between 1 and 2

Not for me

Not for me. I knew Sweet Love from when it was in the charts, but it's all a bit forgettable.

Loved the big hit at the start 'Sweet Love', then it was just pretty ordinary stuff to the end. No wonder I didn't know anything else by her. It's not bad enough for a 1 star and not good enough for a 2. A dilemma I shall not lose sleep over

Yeah, not my cup o' tea. Did not need to hear this before I die and DEFINITELY did not need to hear "Sweet Love" again. Because of this assignment, I did however get to learn that there is a German record label called Ariola, so that's pretty funny.

Ugh. Boring.

One of the longest 36 minutes of this challenge. Will never listen again. Sorry Anita, it's nothing personal.

Nein, das lockt mich nicht hinter dem Ofen hervor. Schöne Stimme, seichter Soul.

Well this broke the run of good albums we've had..... Sorry Anita, you've got a nice voice but this style isn't for me. 1.5

Just awful. Couldn’t get through the tracks without wanting to vomit.

Only 4 songs were available on Spotify and I only made it through 2.5

Not my scene

Not for me

While Anita has a great voice and the songs are pretty good, I really don't see what puts this album on this list.

Unbeatable R&B from the 80's. Only topped by Cool & the Gang.

Not for me.

Turned this off immediately

Sorry, not interested.

Hard no. Worst album yet.

Just so dreadfully bland.

Gear: Abyss DIANA MR (vegan) Artwork: 😪 Mix: 😪 Musik: 😪 Wertung: 😪/5

She has a nice enough voice, but this is absolutely not for me. I think my breaking point was the scatting in "Been So Long".

I drink my own piss sometimes

I have heard enough 80s crap to last a lifetime.

New speedrun record. Think I ran through this one in about 10 minutes. This wet, cheesy, generic 80s pop/R&B sound really isn't for me.

Mum music, not for me.

There is a fairly widely held opinion that music is the 80s was shit, which is untrue. There was an awful lot of really good, groundbreaking music in the 80s that shaped modern music - Gary Numan, Kraftwerk, New Order The Smiths, 'Africa' by Toto etc. This album is the reason people think the '80s were shit. Horrible, insipid songs, over-produced and layered with syrupy synths and sax - it's the kind of music that people who have Luther Vandross's entire back catalogue buy, and keep in their car.

Unavailable on spotify

Didn't do much for me, I'm struggling to see what makes it special.

Not really my thing.

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

Just never could really get into R&B.

Beautiful voice

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.

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.

Another snoozefest

At least it's relatively short. Cheese with added cheese on top.

Vilket sömnpiller!

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.

Not my thing.

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.

Can't find this album on Spotify

How did this make it on here? There was some good music about in that decade and this wasn’t it. Dull soul.

I ALREADY RATED THIS YOU IDIOTS

Awful

Her voice is impressive, but this just isn't for me.

"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.

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

1.5

Sweet FA.

like being buffed into submission with a chamois leather

Shite. Hate this banal soul-lite crap.

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

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