Baker enrolled briefly in community college, then quit to begin singing with bands in Detroit nightclubs. They encouraged her to attend community college and get a nine-to-five job when she graduated from high school in 1976. Baker dedicated her landmark recording, 1986 ’s Rapture, to Landry.Īlthough Landry gave consistent emotional support to Baker, she and other family members worried about the practicality of Baker ’s quest to become a singer. While these women continue to inspire Baker, she identifies her aunt, Lois Landry, a beauty salon owner with whom Baker lived from infancy to adulthood, as the individual whose love and encouragement most allowed her to develop her talent. As a child she idolized gospel great Mahalia Jackson and as a teenager became enamored of the sounds of jazz singers Sarah Vaughan and Nancy Wilson. ” Baker grew up in inner-city Detroit, where she became aware of her vocal powers while singing in small church choirs.
Known for her three-octave vocal range and exceptional evocative power in the recording studio and onstage, Baker described her voice in Ebony as “a tool that was given to me that would allow me to take care of myself and to rise above my beginnings. ” This determination has not only allowed Baker to weather early struggles with recording industry exploitation and later media battles, it has also made her an accomplished artist of enormous popularity, with almost complete control over her creative projects. Let ’s not put it in the hands of someone who doesn ’t know me. “I say if it ’s going to be done, let ’s do it. “Fear doesn ’t overcome me, ” singer Anita Baker told Ms. Sweet and yearning, followed by the celebratory confetti, it was Anita Baker’s closing thank-you to a hometown crowd that was very happy to love her back.Enticed Back to Music After Stint at Law Firm So it was probably no accident that “You Bring Me Joy” was placed as the last song of the night. She said she felt compelled to get out of her vehicle: “It felt like home to me.” “And it’s you.”īaker, who moved out west some years back, recounted arriving in the city Thursday and driving downtown when she spotted “The Spirit of Detroit” statue. “People think there’s some big machine behind me,” she said.
Still, it brought a kind of authentic, organic edge to the otherwise elegant proceedings, and Friday felt like a grassroots Detroit celebration of a well-loved native daughter.Īfter paying tribute to early collaborators such as producer Michael Powell and late drummer Ricky Lawson, Baker thanked the audience for “keeping these Detroit compositions alive.” If Baker was nervous during her hometown return, she needn’t have been. She made a running joke out of her age: “I’m too old for this,” she said at one point, later declaring it was “almost time for night-night.” But given the polish of her vocal performance, the excuses weren’t necessary. The stretches between songs could have used tightening: Too often, the pace felt tentative and rambling, as if Baker was self-conscious in her big moment. She scatted and improvised - even turning her stage chatter into melodies on the spot.įriday’s show was best when Baker zeroed in on her music. She sounded strong at LCA, whether climbing up the scale or nestling into her lower register in her trademark move. Not every 64-year-old singer holds up as well as Baker has managed. That doesn’t mean she’s incapable of vocal fireworks on demand, and she was happy to ignite them Friday when needed to drive home numbers like “No One in the World.” More: Elton John wraps up his Detroit career with a final goodbye for 40,000 at Comerica ParkĮven with her abundant vocal skills and wide range, Baker has never been one to grandstand as a singer, instead relying on the warmth and richness of her tone to sell a song with nuance. More: Anita Baker, Roger Waters, Concert of Colors, Faster Horses lead busy concert weekend She seemed caught up in giddiness for her opening number, “Same Ole Love (365 Days a Year),” punching the air and peppering the song with excited “ooThey were among show highlights that included a shimmering “Angel,” a special moment plucked from her early solo days an emotional “Fairy Tales” late in the set and “Lead Me into Love,” where Baker made soft-lit sounds blossom into a musical crescendo with her backing vocalists. Taking the stage in a sequined jumpsuit and golden shawl, Baker was briefly teary-eyed as she greeted the crowd, mouthing “thank you” as she absorbed the scene.
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