Anita Baker

The attempt to translate R&B achievement into pop success often involves a cruel irony: The
most compelling features of black music are often compromised by artists' crossover
ambitions. Fortunately, recent albums by Luther Vandross and Anita Baker, two
standard-bearers of contemporary black pop, offer ample evidence that even as you
venture from home base, you can keep the fire that defined your appeal. Vandr... More >