Anita Baker Giving You The Best That I Got CD

Personnel: Anita Baker (vocals); Paul Jackson, Jr., Michael J. Powell, Danny Lyle, Kevin Moore (guitar); Courtlen Gale (alto saxophone); Gerald Albright, Dave Boruff (tenor saxophone); Chuck Findley (trumpet); George Duke, Bobby Lyle, Sir Gant (piano); Vernon Fails, Robbie Buchanan, Peter Schwartz, Sonny Burke, Patrick Moten, David Spradley, Nell Walker (keyboards); Joseph Vitarelli, Bruce Nazarian (synclavier); Nathan East (bass); Omar Hakim (drums); Paulinho De Costa (percussion); Valerie Pinkston Mayo, Alex Brown, Carl Carwell, Angel Edwards, Perri,
Recorded at Encore Studio; Yamaha International Recording; Sound Suite; Hitsville; TMF; Gnome Studios.
The sizeable following that Anita Baker acquired with Rapture proved quite receptive to the only slightly less appealing Giving You the Best That I Got -- an album that's quite similar to its predecessors. Though not quite on a par with The Songstress or Rapture, Best is far superior to most of 1988's uninspired R&B releases. Instead of tampering with Rapture's consistently romantic and mellow soul/pop approach, Elektra brought back that album's producer, Michael J. Powell, and kept her at the top of the charts with such sleek yet earthy fare as "Just Because" (whose harmonies bring to mind producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, but lack the hip-hop elements they're quick to employ), "Priceless," the haunting "Good Love," and the title song. Much of Baker's music has contained jazz overtones, but on the Brazilian-influenced, slightly bossa nova-ish "Good Enough," Sarah Vaughan's influence becomes even more apparent -- and indicates that she is making a tremendous mistake by not recording outright jazz. ~ Alex Henderson
Anita Baker's follow-up to her 1986 breakthrough, RAPTURE, closely follows the template of that album, reconvening the same producer, musicians, and some of the same songwriters for an outing that sounds more like a refinement than a retread. The jazz influence that was RAPTURE's secret weapon is even more apparent here, with songs like the slinky, neo-Brazilian "Good Enough" reaching into Dinah Washington territory. Elsewhere, the title track and the playful "Just Because" are tuneful modern R&B, given weight by Baker's assured delivery and Michael Powell's organic production, which keeps the record from dating as notably as many of its contemporaries. Although Anita Baker continued releasing stylish and soulful R&B albums after this disc, GIVING YOU THE BEST THAT I GOT remains one of her career high points.