Rapture

Great vinyl album BUT not the original release as stated in the description. It is the 2013 release version.

I was very satisfied with my purchase. It arrived in excellent packaging and I got it faster than expected. The item was practically brand new!

I wanted this great album in vinyl format, and what I received was more than I ever hoped. This 180 gram vinyl album and the jacket in which it comes are the highest quality, as is the music itself. I'm thrilled with my purchase!

The best album Anita Baker ever made in my opinion. I never get sick of listening to it.

I love Music On Vinyl pressings. This is a high quality pressing and the sound is amazing. Highly recommend.

Following Anita Baker's 1983 debut lack of success,Anita Baker realized that her husky and rangy vocal approach required a broader musical base. That album has essentially been a combination of quiet storm style soul ballads and spirited live band oriented funk. Extremely capable on both,what was needed for Baker was a sense of identity. An Anita Baker sound as it were. By signing up the legendary Atlantic Records,she worked with producer Michael Powell for a sophomore release on the label. And the end of this story not only made Anita Baker a huge vocal giant of her day,but may have energized a certain approach to music a little as well. "Sweet Love" opens the album with an exciting drum,piano fanfare-with a lushly sung and chorded melody where Anita's voice breaks into full gospel fueled power on the choruses and scaling all the way up her range at the end. "You Bring Me Joy" brings out that gospel aspect even further with a full on female backup singer choir backing her up on the choruses. "Caught Up In The Rapture" combines a slow crawling,stripped down funky rhythm with a combination of piano based melody,round synthesizer washes and sumptuous vocal harmonies. "Been So Long" drags out a swinging shuffle with flute like synthesizers on the bluesy vocal choruses. "Mystery" takes a powerful rhythm guitar and harmony drenched ballad originally written by Rod Temperton for the Manhattan Transfer several years earlier and has Anita transform the songs with her trademark vocal elasticity. "No One In The World" is a mid tempo and very melodic light funk number that's very much defined by it's use of bass/guitar interaction with Anita's vocals. "Same Ole' Love" is one of my favorites on this album. It's essentially two songs in one-starting with a bouncy and melodic uptempo number and than going into a bluesier chord progression on the choruses. "Watch Your Step" concludes the album with a type of contemporary uptempo and melodic soul/pop/gospel number musically-similar in flavor to the music Luther Vandross was producing during the same year. On this album,the ingredient less evident on Anita's debut album came into full focus: her complete focusing of the soul/gospel vocal approach through the harmonic range of jazz. Vocally speaking? That had probably already been there from the outset. Musically it was another matter on this album. Bringing in people such as bassist Freddie Washington,who'd worked with everything from Stevie Wonder to Patrice Rushen as well as session musicians that had spanned the 70's and 80's such as Rufus's John Robinson,EWF's Don Myrick,Paul Jackson Jr and Greg Phillinganes helped bring that harmonically expansive jazziness of Anita's vocal approach onto the instrumental stage of this album as well. Considering the fact that soul/funk music during the mid 80's seemed to be a bit more mechanical musically? It's no small feat that this album helped establish Baker as a vocal superstar but the vitality and endurance of expertly produced live musicianship as well.

Just got it today-5/4/2016!! I love it!! Awesome!! Fantastic!! Amazon is like a Xmas Wonderland!! I will be doing all of my shopping here!! Great music store!! Great!! Amazon has everything you could ever imagine or want!! :o)

Classic Anita Baker, well worth buying for the memories!