The torchy and captivating 'Lonely' shows that she has the ability to record a first-rate jazz album (if Elektra would okay such a project for her). Clearly blessed with a magnificent range and lots of soul, Baker needs to experiment and take more risks. Though there's a lot to admire here - including 'No One to Blame,' 'Soul Inspiration,' and 'Whatever It Takes,' a song Baker wrote with Gerald LeVert and Marc Gordon of LeVert - Baker's approach was beginning to sound formulaic in 1990. Once again, Baker rejects hip-hop, techno-funk, new jack swing, and other '80s and '90s black music styles in favor of a consistently relaxed soul/pop mood. What stayed the same was the type of material. Powell moved even closer to a '70s-like approach to R&B - recording Baker's vocals live in the studio, employing a live rhythm section, and avoiding drum machines altogether. Timeline Biography With her classy, refined brand of romantic soul, Anita Baker was one of the definitive quiet storm singers of the ’80s. On Rapture and Giving You the Best That I Got, Anita Baker embraced a blend of technology and 'real instruments' - a definite contrast to the completely high-tech approach of so much '80s and '90s R&B.

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