Anita Baker The Songstress Review 3w6926

Anita Baker's debut album entitled The Songstress was first release in 1983 and showcased the talents of this tremendous vocalist on various ballads, a number of which would go on to become bona fide classic "slow jams".

Going against the trends of the African-American music scene, which was full of disco divas and rappers at the time, Anita's sound focused on gospel tinged, soulful pop, with a hint of jazz influence. The tracks harked back to a sound more suited to the 1970s charts, however due to the quality of the song writing and vocal performances, this was not detrimental to the success of the album. The singles Angel and No More Tears were both smash hits in the RnB charts and the album, which was re-issued in 1991, has to date sold close to half a million copies worldwide.

Although not as much of a commercial success as her follow-up album Rapture , The Songstress makes essential listening for those who are fans of the heart-felt ballad.