Emily: I've written on here before about my dad's love for Smooth Jazz 106.1, the jazz radio station that was here in Philadelphia for most of my childhood. It went off the air a few years ago, but until then it was pretty much all my dad would listen to in the car until my brother or I protested. Well, usually it was me doing the protesting, but still. For a kid/preteen/teenager, smooth jazz radio filled with the likes of Kenny G was not what I wanted to hear when I was getting a ride to the mall. As I've gotten older, and exposed less often to smooth jazz, I have somewhat more of an appreciation for it. I'm not about to go out of my way to listen to it, but when a smooth jazz artist like Anita Baker comes up on this list I'm always willing to give it a chance. I recognized Sweet Love, the lead single from Rapture, almost immediately. It was a staple on 106.1, and even when I was younger I didn't particularly hate it. That's probably because it's more than your standard, boring smooth-jazz fare. Baker's singing has more soul and R&B style along with the jazzier instrumentals, a blend that shines throughout the album. Smooth jazz radio needs more music like this - maybe then it'll get a better rep than it has had so far with the annoyed children and teenagers of the world.
Favorite Tracks: Sweet Love; Same Ole Love; Been So Long
Zack: I don’t really have much to say about this
album, which I think makes it the first of its kind. Anita Baker had a
combination of the smoothness of R&B with the up-tempo of jazz. It was a
nice mixture and was certainly nice on the ears. There wasn’t anything that
really stood out, other than how coherent everything felt. Every song seemed to
flow right into the next, like a seamless stream of silky songs. Overall, I’d
stop short of saying Rapture felt heavenly, but it definitely wasn’t a hell on
Earth.
Favorite Tracks: Sweet Love; Caught Up in the Rapture;
Mystery
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