Anita Baker is a legendary vocal embellisher; she can hold the end of a line and bend that final syllable through several notes in her trademark smokey alto, thus giving the lyric an extra emotional twist. Audiences love t... more »his sort of vocal ornamentation, and a singer must resist the temptation to overdo it, for at a certain point, decoration becomes clutter. Unfortunately, Baker succumbs to that temptation on her new album, Rhythm of Love, which is so embellished with slides, moans and trills it's often difficult to find the songs underneath it all. --Goeffrey Himes« less
Anita Baker is a legendary vocal embellisher; she can hold the end of a line and bend that final syllable through several notes in her trademark smokey alto, thus giving the lyric an extra emotional twist. Audiences love this sort of vocal ornamentation, and a singer must resist the temptation to overdo it, for at a certain point, decoration becomes clutter. Unfortunately, Baker succumbs to that temptation on her new album, Rhythm of Love, which is so embellished with slides, moans and trills it's often difficult to find the songs underneath it all. --Goeffrey Himes
Barbara M. (Babe) from NEW YORK, NY Reviewed on 3/5/2007...
Another sexy, beautiful CD by the great Anita Baker.
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
DEBORAH B. (BLANTOND) from SUMMERVILLE, SC Reviewed on 7/26/2006...
EXCELLENT.
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
CD Reviews
Baker's "Rhythm" is almost perfectly in sync
John Jones | Chicago IL | 05/08/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Sometimes the hardest act to follow can be your own. And with albums like "Rapture," "Giving You the Best That I Got," and "Compositions" under her belt, Anita Baker understands this concept better than anyone. So when "Rhythm of Love," her fifth album, was released after a four-year hiatus, expectations were high. And Baker came damn close to yet again hitting a home-run.The title track kicks off the project with a slick midtempo groove and a sultry spoken intro. Despite the fact that this track basically has no hook it still manages to seduce. Her jazzy rendition of "The Look of Love" boasts one of Baker's most easy-feeling vocals and stellar piano by Joe Sample, and "Body and Soul," the album's first single, was a gospel-flavored love song that ranks among her best recordings. Elsewhere, Anita dipped a toe in the waters of hip-hop with the sultry "I Apologize," tried on Carly Simon for size with a fantastic remake of Simon's "You Belong to Me," and finally gave many fans what they'd be hoping for when she tackled a standard, "My Funny Valentine"...all of which were perfectly executed and showcase Baker's smoky alto as well as anything she's ever recorded.The album wasn't without error, however. "Plenty of Room" and "Wrong Man," a ballad and a midtempo number, respectively, were bland examples of pop/soul that got off to good enough starts, but never went anywhere in the end. And "It's Been You" could have definitely been left off altogether; even though Baker gives the track her usual, charming vocal, the composition is so close to the realm of "Rapture" that it sounds like she's merely trying to recapture that album's sound and success, something a singer of her stature obviously need not do.Still, the majority of this record wins out and proves that Anita Baker will be around for the forseeable future. Musical trends come and go, but a singer with a one of a kind voice and near-perfect taste in song selection will never be out of style."
Wow!! Anita, You're A Treasure!!!!!
Beverly Praiswater | 06/13/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Anita Baker is a uniquely gifted artist. She produced this album, wrote many of the songs, arranged many of the vocals, and plays piano and synthetic percussion on some. Wow!!!
The title song "Rhythm Of Love" is a truly a sultry number. Anita's vocal has no boundaries. She is fantastic! "The Look Of Love" is a very mellow experience. Joe Sample is magical on the piano. Anita is totally inspirational on "Body And Soul"! Her vocal is gorgeous and she gives it everything she's got! "Baby" has a most unique vocal arrangement. Anita showcases her vocal range in this song. "I Apologize" with lyrics about a lover's spat has tones of regret amidst Anita's soulful vocal. "It's Been You" is a tour-de-force of a vocal. So smooth and so mellow...the subtlety takes over and then you're hooked. A slow-smouldering song, "You Belong To Me" has something special that no other singer has been able to duplicate! The emotion in this song is softly explosive! "Wrong Man" is a musical journey full of passion. "Only For A While" is a wonderful ballad that heats up with a great instrumental at the end. There's no love song that can compare with "Sometimes I Wonder Why". Anita adds her own special sentiment for this one. Joe Sample is superb on the piano. Deliberate yet passionate, Anita's vocal is like silk on "My Funny Valentine".
Other notable contributions (a who's who of musicians): Michael Thompso -guitar, Joe Sample-piano, George Duke-percussion, Steve Ferrone-drums, Barry Eastmond-piano, Michael Bradford-various instruments, Nathan East-bass, Dean Parks-guitar, James Genus-bass, Jason Miles-synthesizer programming, Ira Siegel-guitar, Everett Harp-alto sax, Jerry Hey-trumpet, Reggie Young-trumbone, Bucky Pizzarelli-guitar, Charnett Moffett-bass, Greg Phillinganes-piano, Andy Snitzer-saxophone, and Anthony Jackson-bass.
This album is timeless. Many cuts from it are still played on contemporary radio and smooth jazz stations across the country. Truly a classic jewel!"
Body & Soul-She gives it in ALL of her songs
Mellow Fellow | Little Rock, Arkansas United States | 05/12/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Rhythm of Love touches the heart of her music. The song Body &
Soul is my favorite from this album.Lady B, as always gives her best and shows her best in her videos. The lyrics descibes the
love that she has for her husband. When she takes time off to tend to her family, she is gathering material for her next song.
To me, the wait is worth it. Body & Soul tells the story of the
love husbands & wives should have for each other, when they are
away from each other. Love songs by Anita Baker are the type of
songs that artists back in the '50s & '60s sung with respect to
both the man & woman. Lady B gives me the songs that shows
that she feels love, to sing about love."
Rhythm of Love
Geminigirl | Philadelphia, PA United States | 08/06/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I've been a fan of Anita Baker since hearing her first album, 'The Songstress'. Her unique vocal styling and heartfelt emotional performances reeled me in and I'm hooked. If forced to rank her albums, I'd rank it fourth (ahead of 'Compositions' but after 'Rapture', 'GYTBIG' & the aforementioned,'Songstress').
The first single, 'Body & Soul' literally stopped me in my tracks. This is one of the most beautiful love songs I've ever heard and to this day is one of my favorite songs by any artist. The other standout tracks to me are: 'Plenty of Room' (beautiful sentiment), her off-the-chain remakes of 'You Belong To Me' (makes you almost forget the original) and 'My Funny Valentine' (not quite as enjoyable as Chaka Khan's rendition but..still excellent); 'Sometimes I Wonder Why' and 'Only For a While'.
The only two songs that do nothing for me even to this day are 'Rhythm of Love' & 'Wrong Man'.
Overall the production and vocals on this disc should satisfy any fan of Anita's music as this ranks right up there with her more popular albums. Although for any newbies, I'd recommend 'Rapture' to dip your feet into her music first."
THIS WILL DO
anitabakerfan | ABFAN | 05/31/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"IM A LONG LIVED ANITA FAN FROM THE START BUT THIS ALBUM SEEMED A LITTLE DULL COMPARED TO HER LAST ,MAYBE CAUSE SHE WENT AWAY AND HAD KIDS HER TUNE WENT FROM ROMANTIC, QUIET STORM TO PARENT ON MOST,IN ALL A FEW STAND OUT BODY N SOUL I APOGIZE.AND MY ALL TIME REMAKE( YOU BELONG TO ME ),CAN YOU BELIEVE J-LO REDID THIS ASWELL .SHE CANT HOLD A TUNE TO ANITAS VERSION"