Anita Baker
Rapture

THE REVIEW

We are in the '80s, and many veteran and emerging artists are tempted by the allure of the European electronic new wave. These years are dominated by synthesized music, produced by machines in studios that replace musicians. Even for soul, these are dark times. Fortunately, Prince, Sade, and Anita Baker take it upon themselves to revitalize the genre, enriching it with new sounds and ideas that keep up with the times but without forgetting their roots. In that distant 1986, "Rapture" by the elegant Anita Baker is released, a successful crossover of soul, jazz, and pop that perfects the work started two years earlier by Sade with her "Diamond Life."

Just listen to the smooth "Sweet Love," the jazzy "You Bring Me Joy," to realize the class of this artist, or "Caught Up In The Rapture," embellished by an evocative guitar at the end of the track.

We also remember tracks with an upbeat rhythm like "Same Ole Love" and "Watch Your Step," while "Been So Long" demonstrates Baker's vocal range.

The atmospheric "Mystery," thanks to the interpretation of the American artist, wins the comparison with the original version by Manhattan Transfer.

Thanks to her versatile vocals, rich in pathos, and the skillful production by Michael J. Powell, Anita created an everlasting masterpiece, an '80s update to the black tradition. Although it's an album centered on romance, it never falls into the mawkish, as the artist manages to give energy to the tracks thanks to her style and marked sense of jazz tradition, without getting lost in stylistic exercises for their own sake.

For the new generations who would like to know another side of the '80s, "Rapture" is the ideal album and is also a great starting point to discover the art of Anita Baker.