I'm 24 years old which means I was just a young'un coming up listening to Anita Baker. I knew and loved 15 out of 18 of the songs on this cd when I heard it and everytime I hear it..I get goosebumps. I LOVE IT!!! I just can't get enough of it!

I would of givin' This CD 5 stars But it is missing my favorite Anita Song "Soul Inspiration" why was it not on this CD ? every single was on here except that one...hmmm makes me wonder why they excluded it.

Anita baker is a living legend and most of the songs on this CD support that fully. There are a few stinkers but her voice is as always flawless throughout...

I love Anita Baker. Her voice is so soothing. My favorite songs by her are Angel, Rapture, You Bring Me Joy, Same Ole Love, Just Because, and Good Love. She has one of the prettiest voices I have ever heard, and I am one of her lifelong fans.

Music is smooth in her typical style. I enjoyed the CD very much as it had good variety.

Saw Anita in person but she sounds so much better on this CD and she sings all the old favorites.

i wanna like anita baker...but the problem here is that all of her songs sound the same.rapture of love,just because,sweet love,No One in the World,You Bring Me Joy etc etc etc...whats the difference lol.plus her vocal delivery pretty much stays the same.and lets be honest here her voice is an aquired taste (or at least to me it is).seriously her voice sounds like somethings lodged down her throat.but if i must say one good thing about anita baker is that her voice and production goes well and floats great togeather and has a smooth mellow quality to them.so if i'm stuck on a island with just her music i wouldn't mind....at first but after a week on that island i would become bored to tears.but this is probably a personal preferance than a actual critique i guess.

i think you're better off with sade's best of compilation instead.while sade's voice might also be considered an aquired taste she still has something that anita baker doesn't.and that secret weapon is her awesome band headed by Stuart Mathewman (guitar and saxophone),Paul S. Denman (bass),Andrew Hale (keyboards),Paul Cook (drums).these guys also helped with maxwell's albums.and they tend to switch up their sound from time to time.

but if your a hardcore anita fan than this is perfect for you.but i do wonder why they never put been so long on the cd?...

While listening to this disc, it amazes me how many hits this wonderful artist has. I mean, hit after hit and her voice just floats on the music. I really wish she hadn't dropped off when she did. Anyways, beautiful disc from a beautiful lady and a must have. Absolute must have!

I bought this for my Wife for Valentine's Day. She loved it!

Just BUY IT, its fantastic. She is the best jazzy soul singer in the last 20 years. Yes, I said it. Not to mention one of the classiest. I am sorry to hear of all her personal troubles that kept her from singing for a whopping 10 years, it seemed like longer to us fans. Maybe this will make Sade, Pebbles, and Natalie Cole have faith they can repeat their successes if Anita can comeback after so long? I guess you have to wait on quality? Every song is good, just let it play, and its a bargain for the amount of music you get. Good investment.

Anita baker..one of the best. Her music is beautiful, relaxing, soothing and quite positive.

Anita baker is just an all time great singer. her voice can't be copied she has a very unique style and voice that makes you want to hear more.

When Anita Baker's "Rapture" CD was issued in 1986, she was not considered a logical candidate for superstardom by many--thankfully, that was not to be the case and she went on to become one of the greatest and most respected R&B divas of our time. This superb collection is indispensable for anyone who loves real music and contains most of her classic hits.

Anita Baker is a velvet-voice singer. She really has a beautiful voice, the songs included are certainly her best, they will catch your ears since the first notes.
This compilation is a good one. However, I really hate to have so many "single" versions in this "Best Of"! Hey, if available, what's the problem with including the original, full-length versions in it?

Anita gives you the best that she's got here! All of her hits and then some. My particuliar favorites are Fairy Tales, Talk To Me, and Sweet Love. Their aren't any bad songs here. A wonderful compilation!!!

Who could possibly give this a bad rating? It's all of the best of Anita, and it's worth it to have such a great mix of music. This would be a great first CD for anyone who isn't familiar with her music yet...

This was a great CD. I love her music and she is a classy singer. I have all of her cds that she has every made. To put all her best on one cd was just magical. Listening to the cd over and over again just only made me Known that I will always be a fan of her music. The music makes you realize that love is one of the most important things in life. I enjoyed it immensily. Great cd for lovers and anyone. BUY IT!

I can never get enough of Anita Baker. Her music is beautiful as are her lyrics. It just makes you feel good when you listen to her songs. I recommend this cd to every and anyone who just wants to sit back and groove.

This CD was great. Not one song on that CD didn't bring back memories. This one is good to have in the collection.

This is a great CD with all of Anita's hits and then some! For anyone that likes true and genuine R&B needs to get this CD. Has song's on here from early, early stuff all the way to her most recent string of hits. Not much left to say here about this CD...it's great and anyone who is a fan of Anita Baker knows what's up and anyone who would like to hear one of the originators of R&B should purchase this Greatest Hits package!

Buying this album reminded me that there was some great music in the 80's. Most of it was on Anita Bakers "Rapture" album. The most stylish voice in pop or jazz.

Anita Baker has one of the best female voices out there, and she has put it to great use throughout her career. If you like R&B/soul at all, you will love some of these songs. But if you look at the distribution of songs on this collection across her 5 albums, you will see a pattern that is not accidental: 5 great songs from Rapture (her 1st); 4 hit-or-miss songs from Giving You the Best that I've Got (2nd); only 5 songs combined from the final 3 albums; and a few forgettable non-album tracks mixed in. "Best Of" is worth getting, but I would start with Rapture first -- its 8 tracks make up one of those rare consistently excellent albums and are a more enjoyable listen than this mixed-bag collection.

Anita Baker is one of the best R&B singers of all time, and this is a great CD. But my favorite Anita Baker song is not include, and only available on The Final Frontier, Mad About You CD. Anita kills the theme song, Final Frontier. Maybe it will be included in the next greatest hits CD.

Anita Baker (probably the greatest voice in R&B) captivated you with her sultry voice and timeless harmonies that people wanted more from her.... I dont know what they wanted (what my mum says that people did not want to hear about slow sad songs about woe and lost loves).... i actually love songs that have true depth and u can hear the sorrow and wonder in voices....

There are a very very very few artist in the world that have brilliant voices (michael jackson, marvin gaye, freddie mercury of Queen, mariah carey, stevie wonder, diana ross, amongst more) that capture your full attention and will not let you go to another.... Anita is that person....

i think that this greatest hits album is one of the best.... this LP always puts me in the mood when im with a gal... hehe....

I could go through the stand outs on the LP and i will just be playing favourites and i hate doing that... the whole disk is brilliantly mastered and any r&b fan would appreciate good solid r&b that will be timeless in every1s "body and soul" hehehe sorry i just had too....

choreohype

This cd is a great collection of Anita Baker's songs. This is a must have for any Anita Baker fan.

that's what keeps this cd from being 5 stars. I just can't listen to it wall to wall. I remember my mom playing Anita's "Fairy Tales" when I was a wee toddler and I hated Anita Baker's voice. Since then I have come to appreciate her music. "Angel", "Sweet Love", "Caught Up In The Rapture" and "Body And Soul" are my favorites. For some reason I just lack the fortitude to listen to her voice after "Giving You the Best That I Got", I have to take a 20 minute break and then finish the cd. She has a great voice but it just starts to wear me down after a while. That's just me though, go out and pick it up, it's well worth it.

WHATS UP WITH THIS GREATEST HITS ALBUM ,WHERES MORE TUNES FROM COMPOSITIONS AND WHY DIDNT THEY ADD SOME LIVE VERSIONS,AND YOUR MISSING YOU BELONG TO ME ,GOOD LOVE ,SHES MY ALL TIME FAV ,SO IT DOSENT MATTER I HAVE IT ALREADY, SOMEBODY IN DETRIOT GO TELL HER WHERE STILL HERE WAITING ON HER,WE FANS LOVE HER TO DEATH

I have to say that this Anita Baker album is beautifully done, compiling her best songs from five albums and other places! Still love the Rapture tracks on here! The ones from Giving I still love and the later albums. But most dramatic are the selections from the first album. They set the tone for what would make her a superstar 10 or more times over! Angel, You're The Best Thing Yet, and No More Tears are such beautiful songs. Her quiet storm approach not only appealed to adult listeners but suprisingly young listeners who also wanted to hear a good voice too. I wished that her '94 album could have had more hits, but her label was onto some other things at the time. This album justifies her many talents and they chose the 18 best songs for this collection. Anita Baker can sure sing it!!!!!

What can I say that isn't already said about this AMAZING woman. The Best of Anita Baker is a compilation of her best work and althought there are couple songs missing you sense, thats part of her MO. Giving her listeners and her fans enough -for them to want more. If you know her classic cds like the "Rapture", "Rhythm Of Love","Songstress" "Giving You the BEST That I Got" and her others she never goes over 15 songs like today artist. There were never any fillers on her cds its always her best work that is from her soul at that point in time and the end product is ever a capsule of classic soul and R&B with a fusion of jazz and instruments harmonized that gifted voice. Never got the credit she deserves like the Whitneys, Mariahs, Janets, Celines, Pattis, Arethas, Madannas who acholades are so richly deserve but lets not forget about the divine Ms ANITA BAKEr "a quiet storm" that came through and left her soul through her music and I am happy that she did.

CLASSIC SONGS
1) BOdy and SOUL (The title speaks for itself one of my all time favorites)
2)Fairy TALES
3)I APOLIGIZE (Soothing words to say after resolving a complicated issue with a love one)
4)Caught Up In The Rapture (CLASSIC!!!!-enough said)
5)You bring Me Joy
6) Same OLE LOVE (Amazing)
7)Good Love
8)You're the Best Thing Yet
9)NO More tear (To me one of her best written song that should have gotten more airplay--classic words)
10) Giving you the best that I got
11)Angel
12) Sweet love
13) Ain't No need to Worry (Love this song with the Winans)
14) Its been you (OHHH love this song)
15) No One in the World
16)Lead Me into Love

I simple had to list all the songs on the cd because writng a couple would do no justice to this cd--SIMPLY A MUST HAVE --I don't know what took me so long to gte this cd but I am happy I did. Anita you are one of the greatest in my eyes keep blessing the world with that divine voice.

Anita Baker, one of R&B's loveliest voices, brought to the world a jazzy, gospel, adult-contemporary style of music that excited all of us. Of course, no one can mock her style. She is pure genius at establishing her own identity. When you hear her classics "Sweet Love", "Giving You The Best That I Got", "Rapture" and "Good Love", you pretty much know what you're dealing with. Of course, not many compilations surround this mighty 'songstress', but there is one that does satisfy - "The Best Of...". Maybe because it provides an extensive timeline of her finest achievements in musical history. It even features the over-looked, jazzier R&B material (three tracks) from her debut project, "The Songstress"; which so happens to be her best material. Plus the songs are rendered in a chronological order - which is a "plus". The songs are digitially remastered - which sits well with Anita's audiences. Only problem, most of the cuts are edited version of the albums' offerings. But with almost 80 minutes jammed into this one, you can't be too grieved. Most of her hits are assembled on "The Best Of", including "Body And Soul", "No One In The World", "Ain't No Need To Worry (featuring the Winans)", "Just Because", "Same Ole Love" and "Fairy Tales".

In my opinion, "Rapture" was Anita's best album...and featured the most radio hits. You will find five of those tracks on here; which is pretty comforting. Besides the edited versions, this album is a great journey featuring eighteen splendid musical offerings. That's a good thing, ain't it. If you want to witness this musical giant at action and plan on just getting one album from her, start here first.

While this is a pretty good collection of Anita...I have to agree with a few others when I say it isn't at all complete! For how can you release a greatest hits without: YOU BELONG TO ME and BEEN SO LONG! She SANG the backbone and anklebone out of those songs...

Instead of purchasing this..I'll just stick with my individual CDs of Ms. Baker..that way I won't miss not one single song! There are quite a few other gems that just won't make a greatest hits CD..therefore its not worth to me.. I want the whole experience. But overall this is not a bad compilation.

This greatest hits CD is absolutely "SUPERB!"

Speaking as a person who wore his way through two different CASSETTES of Rapture in my college days, and who owns all of Anita's original albums, I took a VERY CLOSE look at what this album offers and give it pretty high marks. Great track selection, and that they created an edit to that MESS of a run-on song "Fairytale", I think is real good. But here's the problem:

For some reason they decided to place a great many "edits" on this CD. NOW WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT -- there was PLENTY of space for the originals, and most of her songs required no mixing, editing or what-not.

All this, PLUS, the album lacks: Album 2 (Rapture) / Side A (Back when we had such things) / Track 4 "Been So Long" --->

"Been so long" is a required track. Without it, you don't have all the Ms. Baker has to offer. Heck, I think I'm gonna play it right now. :>

I'd buy this album, but I wouldn't use it as a reason not to own the Rapture album.

They say ( whoever 'THEY' may be ) that good things come in small packages. And Anita Baker, rather demure in a frame of 5'2", can most definitely fall into that wonderful catagory. And while I'm generally never one to be considered guilty of inflated rhetoric, " The Best of Anita Baker " for this listener is the best " good thing " that I've added to my music collection in quite some time.

For any singer to encompass as many singing styles as Ms. Baker effortlessly does, whether it be Soul, R&B or even a slice of Jazz is probably my main source of enjoyment in this wonderful disc. At times sounding like Jazz great Sarah Vaughn, she takes each of these selections here and makes the listener believe that, as far as these songs are concerned, no other vocalist should even attempt to cover them, less they be compared ( and probably unfavorably ) to our Ms. Baker. Starting off this magnificent disc with three selections from " The Songstress " Anita tackles these opening tracks with such complete artistic abandon that I was in awe and began to wonder why it took this listener so very long to pick up this cd. The following five selections from " Rapture " ( aptly titled ) is again a true slice of R&B heaven and it is this disc that set the bar for many of Anita's imitators to follow i.e. Toni Braxton. This is most definitely " old school " at its very best and every track is absolutely essential for my music library. As it should be for any true fan of Soul, Jazz or any style of really good, mature adult music.

Small point though, while I'm not exactly thrilled with Rhino ( who generally do a wonderful job with these sort of compilations! ) editing many of the tracks here I do understand. Clocking in at a mind-numbing seventy-nine and a half minutes they've certainly given the consumer more then their money's worth and for that I'm more then happy to live with the single versions to be found within. Also, compilations can be rather tricky seeing how there are always fans of any artist who will complain of songs that are absent and favorites that simply didn't make the cut ( read above reviews) but a disc such as this I find I'm far too busy enjoying what's contained within to be bothered with what doesn't necessarily appear. It's a small point when listening to a disc that is filled with so much wonderful, heartwrenching music that it made any minor points such as these seem miniscule and decidedly unimportant. That's the effect that Anita Baker has on this listener. " Rapture " indeed!

This CD is everything one would expect a greatest hits compilation of Anita's to be. It's fantastic from start to finish with so many great songs, and while it's not new music like I and many others were hoping for, it's still great and perhaps we'll get something new before long since she's out touring again.