Classy Lady

Hark, ye Madonnas/Esthers, ye Britney Spearses, ye Jennifer Lopezes!

Behold a True Star, in every sense of the word.

Anita Baker Back After 10-Year Hiatus

Unlike other artists who fade into the background after disappointing sales or lack of fan interest, the veteran multiplatinum artist -- known for late '80s and early '90s hits such as "Sweet Love," "Been So Long," and "No One in the World" -- turned off the faucet herself when her career was still thriving. [SNIP]

"After 'Rhythm of Love,' I went home to recharge, and life just started happening," says Baker, dressed in a black top and pants, hair shorn in her trademark short cut and looking almost the same as a decade ago.

With two infant sons and a husband, Baker was more than happy to relinquish stardom to focus on being a wife and mother.

"My kids started growing up. I tried to leave and go cut the record, and I was like, 'Dang, I can't leave ... I can't leave these babies,' " she says. "I didn't want to be in a situation where other people were raising my sons. We just settled into a very normal, suburban lifestyle, with two kids, a cat and a bird and a mommy and a daddy."

But in time, she would also have to attend to two ailing parents -- first her father, who would die of bone cancer, and her mother, who succumbed to Alzheimer's disease. Taking care of them -- not singing -- became her top priority.

"I put my family over my career for the last 10 years, and I didn't intend to, but it just happened that way, and as it started to happen, it was like, this feels right," she says.[SNIP]

"When I was trying to be a songwriter and a record producer and a doctor and a nurse and a daughter and a mommy, my [musical] gifts weren't coming. Once I made the decision that I'm going to be here with my mother, the waters parted and the sky cleared."

It wasn't until Baker's mother died in 2002 that she decided to pick up the microphone again. She wasn't looking to record an album -- she just wanted to perform, to prevent grief from absorbing her. [SNIP]

Baker's first concert was a low-key affair at Westbury Music Fair in Long Island, N.Y. A nervous Baker didn't know quite what to expect. She had put on a few pounds and didn't have a glamorous look or any new material.

"I was not ready. I was right out of my living room and on to the stage," she says. "But the thing that I found out in doing that first show, even having 15 extra pounds and having mommy hair, was that with my audience, it ain't about my body, and it wasn't about my hair. It was about my music, and that's what I learned that night, and I'll take that with me for the rest of my career."

Yes, lovely Ms. Baker, that is what it’s about, but you realize there are two things more important: love and family. I remain a loyal fan of this wonderful and talented person.

(Thanks to Booker Rising)

Comments

[David Anderson]

I am a huge fan, the thing about her that I always liked was that she has songs for the whole spectrum of love, from first falling in love, to the pain of losing one you love, and I can tie a song of hers to many of my old school relationships.
Thanks for the memories, and the news.

[Carridine]

Music is one window to the soul... and the soul is helpless in the face of beauty.

Some beautiful, sexy, slim woman who can't hold a tune or phrase a line... is NOTHING compared to the true beauty of a singing, authentic voice.

More, Ms Baker, please... :)

As a singer, Anita is, compared to the female "vocalists" you listed, as a woman is to a girl. If she doesn't make every man who listens to her vibrate like a tuning fork, there's something wrong with the man who doesn't.

[torchy]

I loved her music and have periodically wondered what happened to her. Glad to hear she went on to bigger and better things.

[og]

What an incredible voice! I wondered what had happened to her- and am pleased to know she is back. I can't wait to hear what she has to offer next.

Anita Baker didn't have to work hard to re-invent herself because in her early career she was already strong on music, light on image.

People appreciate quality, and remember.

Now can you imagine some dumb sexpot like Kelis retiring and then making a successful comeback?

I can't!

[John Salmon]

Anita: "But the thing that I found out in doing that first show...it ain't about my body, and it wasn't about my hair. It was about my music..." What? It's not about having a hot body and being able to dance? Is pop music (i.e., non-jazz, non-classical) about to grow up again? Is quality going to be more important than image? If Anita has her way, it will be.

[sharona]

Anita Baker has true, bonafide talent. She might not have "Britney Money", but she has the comfort of a good marriage, a loving family life, and golden pipes. I applaud Anita for coming out and doing her show even if she thought she might not be what everyone expected. Life changes, our bodies change: our genuine character and talent stays the same! That's a life-affirming lesson everyone could use in today's body-centric society.

[Marty]

Oooh...Leigh is a big Anita fan. Guess I know what I'm purchasing.....

[baldilocks]

Leigh's got good taste...in several things. :-)

[Cassandra]

What an amazing story. I've always loved her voice, not least because she's one of the few female singers who sings in my range, but also because she is an incredible talent.

I'm not even a huge R&B fan (if you can categorize her music that way - I'm never up on the latest music jargon), but I've always loved her work.

Now that I know there's a brain and a down-to-earth set of values behind her amazing voice, I'm even more thrilled to see her back.

I've never regretted devoting 18 years of my life to raising my sons - I have the whole rest of my life to have a career. Some things are more important than money, and intelligent women can find plenty to occupy their minds -- even when their families are their primary concern.

Good on her.