Thursday, May 31, 2007

Rediscover the Classics: Rapture

When Anita Baker's "Rapture" album came out in 1986, the R&B songstress injected radio with some much-needed soul. Quite simply, there was nothing like "Rapture" on the radio in the mid-'80s. Her smoky voice and jazzy songs stood out from much of the pop music that was popular during that period.

Twenty years later, the album's music has not aged a day at all. "Sweet Love" is one of the best radio singles to come out of the '80s, and "Caught Up in the Rapture" is right up there with it.

But what is truly mind-boggling is that after 20 years, the album's CD quality is not up to par in this day of remastering and sound-obsessed audiophiles. This is common with CD releases from the mid-to-late 80s -- the sound is low, there's little bass, and the music lacks oomph. Why this album remains in the vaults waiting to be dusted off and remastered remains a mystery to me. It's a true soul classic from a musical decade renowned for fluffy pop hits and guilty pleasures.

If any album from the '80s deserves to reissued with improved sound and bonus tracks, this is it.

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