1986 studio album by Anita Baker
Rapture is the second album by American vocalist Anita Baker , released in 1986. This became Baker's breakout album and earning her two Grammy Awards . The album's first track, "Sweet Love ", was a top 10 Billboard hit in addition to winning a Grammy Award . The music video for the track "Same Ole Love " was filmed at Baker's Keyboard Lounge .[ 1]
Background
Baker teamed with former Chapter 8 bandmate Michael Powell for her Elektra debut, Rapture . It was released on March 20, 1986 and the follow-up project to Baker's 1983 solo debut The Songstress , commissioned by Beverly Glen Records. Baker’s arrival onto the music industry signaled a musical rebellion, affording her voice and range to shine front-and-center.[ 2]
Critical reception
In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone , Rob Hoerburger regarded Rapture as a relatively "modest" album compared to more histrionic female singers, while praising the symbiotic relationship Baker shared with her band. Occasionally, he believed, the groove -based music lacked variety, and the singer drifted into "some superfluous scatting and pseudo-jazz harmony", but Hoerburger ultimately deemed her "an acquired but enduring taste".[ 7] At the end of 1986, Rapture was ranked number 2 among the "Albums of the Year" by NME .[ 8] It was voted the 23rd best album of the year in the Pazz & Jop , an annual poll of American critics, published by The Village Voice .[ 9] Robert Christgau , the newspaper's lead music critic, was less impressed and viewed the record as merely a soulful, sexier version of soft rock and easy listening : "it's all husky, burnished mood, the fulfillment of the quiet-storm format black radio ... a reification of the human voice as vehicle of an expression purer than expression ever ought to be".[ 10]
In 1989, Rapture was ranked number 36 on Rolling Stone ' s list of the 100 greatest albums from the 1980s.[ 11] The same publication would later include the album as number 404 on their 2020 list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time .[ 12] In retrospect, AllMusic 's Alex Henderson said, "Rapture ' s tremendous success made it clear that there was still a sizeable market for adult-oriented, more traditional R&B singing."[ 3] According to The Mojo Collection (2007), "when provocative new trends in black music were exploding from the street by the month, Baker kept her head and made a traditional (i.e., with its roots in the '70s) soul record with brooding, slow-burn minor tunes of romantic celebration and earthy longing."[ 13] According to CBC Music journalist Amanda Parris, "Baker defined quiet storm in the '80's and her album Rapture is one of the subgenre's milestones."[ 14] Pitchfork placed the album at number 149 on its list of The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s.[ 15]
Rapture peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200 in the United States and number 13 on the UK Albums Chart .[ 13] Promoted with two hit singles in "Sweet Love " and "Caught Up in the Rapture ",[ 13] the album received significant airplay on both black radio and Top 40 formats, unlike Baker's 1983 debut The Songstress .[ 16] By October 1987, Rapture had sold three million copies.[ 17] It propelled Baker to stardom in soul and pop music during the late 1980s, winning two Grammy Awards and eventually sold over eight million copies worldwide.[ 2]
Track listing
Personnel
Musicians
Anita Baker – lead vocals, backing vocals (1–6), keyboards (8)
Dean "Sir" Gant – keyboards (1, 2, 4, 7, 8), arrangements
Vernon D. Fails – keyboards (3, 5)
Randy Kerber – keyboards (6)
Greg Phillinganes – synthesizer overdubs (6)
Paul Chiten – synthesizer overdubs (6)
Greg Moore – guitar (1, 2, 7)
Michael J. Powell – guitar (3, 5)
Donald Griffin – guitar (4, 8)
Dean Parks – lead guitar (6)
Paul Jackson Jr. – rhythm guitar (6)
Freddie Washington – bass (1, 2, 7)
David B. Washington – bass (3, 5, 8)
Jimmy Haslip – bass (4)
Neil Stubenhaus – bass (6)
Ricky Lawson – drums (1, 2, 4, 7, 8)
Arthur Marbury – drums (3, 5)
John Robinson – drums (6)
Paulinho da Costa – percussion (1, 2, 6, 7, 8)
Lorenzo Brown – percussion (3)
Lawrence Fratangelo – percussion (3, 5)
Don Myrick – saxophone (2)
Donald Albright – saxophone (8)
Jim Gilstrap – backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 7, 8)
Bunny Hull – backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 7, 8)
Daryl Phinnessee – backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8)
Alex Brown – backing vocals (2, 8)
Vesta Williams – backing vocals (2, 8)
Natalie Jackson – backing vocals (5)
Lynn Davis – backing vocals (6)
Phillip Ingram – backing vocals (6)
Production
Executive producer – Anita Baker
Producers – Michael J. Powell (tracks 1–5, 7 & 8); Marti Sharron and Gary Skardina (track 6)
Engineers – Barney Perkins (tracks 1–5, 7 & 8); Robert Feist and Gary Skardina (track 6)
Assistant engineers on tracks 1–5, 7 & 8 – Keith "KC" Cohen, Fred Law, Tony Ray and Keith Seppanen
Mixing – Barney Perkins and Michael J. Powell
Mastered by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California)
Art direction and photography – Carol Friedman
Creative director – Hale Milgrim
Design – Sue Keston
Accolades
Grammy Awards
American Music Awards
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
See also
References
^ " "People are talking about ...", Jet (April 6, 1987) p 53" . Johnson Publishing Company. 6 April 1987. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2016 .
^ a b "Revisiting Anita Baker's 'Rapture' (1986) | Retrospective Tribute" . Albumism . Retrieved 2022-03-20 .
^ a b Henderson, Alex. Rapture > review at AllMusic . Retrieved 2013-04-11.
^ Christgau, Robert (1990). "B" . Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s . Pantheon Books . ISBN 0-679-73015-X . Archived from the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
^ a b c "Rapture" . Acclaimed Music . Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2017 .
^ Nelson, Brad (March 21, 2021). "Anita Baker: Rapture" . Pitchfork . Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021 .
^ Hoerburger, Rob (September 11, 1986). "Anita Baker: Rapture : Music Reviews" . Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2013-04-11 .
^ "Albums and Tracks of the Year" . NME . 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-09-20. Retrieved September 19, 2018 .
^ Anon. (March 3, 1987). "The 1986 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll" . The Village Voice . Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2017 .
^ Christgau, Robert (February 3, 1987). "Consumer Guide" . The Village Voice . Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2017 .
^ "Rapture CD Album" . CD Universe . Archived from the original on June 17, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2017 .
^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" . Rolling Stone . September 22, 2020. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2020 .
^ a b c Agarwal, Manish; et al. (2007). The Mojo Collection (4th ed.). Canongate Books . p. 501. ISBN 978-1847676436 .
^ Parris, Amanda (November 24, 2017). "From Smokey Robinson to Anita Baker: an ode to quiet storm" . CBC Music . Archived from the original on September 19, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2018 .
^ "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s" . Pitchfork . 10 September 2018. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019 .
^ Johnson, Connie (December 29, 1986). "Anita Baker Breaks Out Of Pop Pack" . Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on March 28, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2017 .
^ Hunt, Dennis (October 30, 1987). "Pop Lp Chart" . Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on March 28, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2017 .
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, NSW : Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6 .
^ "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 45, No. 24" . RPM . 1987-03-14. Archived from the original (PHP) on 2014-03-03. Retrieved 2014-05-15 .
^ "charts.nz Anita Baker – Rapture " (ASP) . Hung Medien . Recording Industry Association of New Zealand . Archived from the original on 2019-11-28. Retrieved 2014-05-15 .
^ "swedishcharts.com Anita Baker – Rapture " (ASP) (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2012-11-14. Retrieved 2014-05-15 .
^ "Anita Baker > Artists > Official Charts" . Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 2014-07-09. Retrieved 2014-05-18 .
^ a b c "Allmusic: Rapture : Charts & Awards: Billboard Albums" . allmusic.com. Retrieved 2014-05-16 .
^ "Album Search: Anita Baker – Rapture " (in German). Media Control. Archived from the original on 2021-11-09. Retrieved 2014-05-11 .
^ "Billboard.BIZ – Year-end Charts – Billboard 200 – 1986" . billboard.biz. Archived from the original on 2012-12-09. Retrieved 2012-12-08 .
^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Year End 1986" . Billboard . 2 January 2013. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2020 .
^ "Top Pop Albums of 1987" . billboard.biz. Archived from the original on 2012-08-02. Retrieved 2012-12-31 .
^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Year End 1987" . Billboard . 2 January 2013. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2020 .
^ "Billboard.BIZ: Top Pop Albums of 1988" . billboard.biz. Archived from the original on 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2013-01-01 .
^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Year End 1988" . Billboard . 2 January 2013. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2020 .
^ "Canadian album certifications – Anita Baker – Rapture" . Music Canada .
^ "British album certifications – Anita Baker – Rapture" . British Phonographic Industry . Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Rapture in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
^ "American album certifications – Anita Baker – Rapture" . Recording Industry Association of America .
^ "#404 Anita Baker, 'Rapture' (1986)" .
External links
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