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August 2010

Anita Baker says the working title for her next album, 21st Century Love, reflects both the music and lyrical tone of her first new release in six years.

"The title came out of the recording process," Baker, who worked at studios in Los Angeles and Nashville for the Nov. 9 release, tells Billboard.com. "I couldn't decide whether I was going to do analog to digital, whether I was going to do straight digital...So it occurred to me as a musician, as a singer, just as a person I am straight-up analog, but that I'm in a digital world, and so I decided to do both."

As for the lyrics, Baker says that the album's planned 10 tracks follow a loose theme based on her experience as a single woman in the wake of her 2008 divorce from Walter Bridgforth, the father of her two teenage sons, after nearly 20 years of marriage.

"I'm out here and it's almost impossible to connect," Baker explains, "and people are saying, 'You need to get online. You need to get a dating service.' I'm like, 'Are you serious?' I mean, I don't even have voice mail, and people get all out of shape about that. But, you know what, I don't want to transcribe your message; I want to talk to you. And that kind of freaks people out a bit. They go, 'Oh, who has time to talk?' and I'm like, 'Well, I'm gonna make time.' "

Baker worked on 21st Century Love with producers such as Nathan East, Harvey Mason, Jr., and Danny Moore. She worked with East's group Four Play on a version of the early 1930s love song "You're My Thrill" that was arranged by keyboardist Bob James. She also recreated Tyrese Gibson's 1999 hit "Lately," luring the actor/singer out of musical semi-retirement.

"He was like, 'I was 12- years- old when I sang that, and I can't even get to that key anymore,' " Baker recalls. "And I'm like, 'We'll change the key!' This is something I did out of love and wanting Tyrese to sing because he's in the movies and he's just kind of abandoned his singing."

21st Century Love's most surprising song, meanwhile, is a rendition of Curtis Mayfield's "Give Me Your Love" with Snoop Dogg. The two wound up recording the song on the rapper's wedding anniversary. "He came back with this dialogue that just shook us," says Baker, who wrote a new bridge for the song as well. "It just talks about being a grown man with a grown woman, and it was beautiful and poetic and a really special moment."

Baker performs Aug. 26 in Vienna, Va., and at home on Aug. 28 in Independence Township, Mich., outside of Detroit. After that she plans to "shut down in the fall and...do a couple of choice dates at Christmas," spending time instead to focus on shooting videos and other promotion for 21st Century Love.

A full track listing and first single are expected to be announced soon.

http://www.billboard.com/...tag=hpfeed

This comeback story is going to be interesting.

TonyVanDam said:

This comeback story is going to be interesting.

Umm she never went anywhere lol

I wonder if her and Prince did anything 2gether recently?

ABeautifulOne said:

TonyVanDam said:

This comeback story is going to be interesting.

Umm she never went anywhere lol

She sort of did. She purposely stepped away from the industry in 1994 after giving birth to her children (one born in Jan 1993 and the second in May 1994). She has said in numerous interviews that she just needed to stay home and be a mom and wife. It was ten years until she released My Everything on Blue Note Records, a deal that suppoesdly promised at least two records. This 21st Century Love will be the second record on that deal.

It seems that her 2004 effort, My Everything, initially generated some excitment, but then fell on deaf ears. People were glad to Antia's back, but the album didn't offer the same magic she once had on records like Rapture, or Giving You the Best That I Got. Not to me, anyway. I will listen to the new record though.

In same ways, she is making a come back. The record industry changed a lot from 1994 - 2004, and has changed even more in the past six years. It will be interesting to see how she fits in, where she lands, and how much interest she really takes in promoting the record w/ Blue Note/EMI.

ernestsewell said:

ABeautifulOne said:

Umm she never went anywhere lol

She sort of did. She purposely stepped away from the industry in 1994 after giving birth to her children (one born in Jan 1993 and the second in May 1994). She has said in numerous interviews that she just needed to stay home and be a mom and wife. It was ten years until she released My Everything on Blue Note Records, a deal that suppoesdly promised at least two records. This 21st Century Love will be the second record on that deal.

It seems that her 2004 effort, My Everything, initially generated some excitment, but then fell on deaf ears. People were glad to Antia's back, but the album didn't offer the same magic she once had on records like Rapture, or Giving You the Best That I Got. Not to me, anyway. I will listen to the new record though.

In same ways, she is making a come back. The record industry changed a lot from 1994 - 2004, and has changed even more in the past six years. It will be interesting to see how she fits in, where she lands, and how much interest she really takes in promoting the record w/ Blue Note/EMI.

I already knew this sweetie.

ernestsewell said:

ABeautifulOne said:

Umm she never went anywhere lol

She sort of did. She purposely stepped away from the industry in 1994 after giving birth to her children (one born in Jan 1993 and the second in May 1994). She has said in numerous interviews that she just needed to stay home and be a mom and wife. It was ten years until she released My Everything on Blue Note Records, a deal that suppoesdly promised at least two records. This 21st Century Love will be the second record on that deal.

It seems that her 2004 effort, My Everything, initially generated some excitment, but then fell on deaf ears. People were glad to Antia's back, but the album didn't offer the same magic she once had on records like Rapture, or Giving You the Best That I Got. Not to me, anyway. I will listen to the new record though.

In same ways, she is making a come back. The record industry changed a lot from 1994 - 2004, and has changed even more in the past six years. It will be interesting to see how she fits in, where she lands, and how much interest she really takes in promoting the record w/ Blue Note/EMI.

There was a Christmas album and that was probably Blue Note. I'm kind of surprised they let her wait this long to release another album. It's good Blue Note is still in business!

ABeautifulOne said:

I already knew this sweetie.

Others may not when they visit el threado.

IMHO, Anita only stopped doing stuff after '95 to raise her kids and try to repair an already broken marriage. Once that started to fall apart and her kids got older she returned. So technically since 2004 she's never been anywhere. She just hadn't put an album out in six years.

Graycap23 said:

I wonder if her and Prince did anything 2gether recently?

Lord, I hope not.

Her head seems to be in a good place. She is taking note of the fact that a lot has changed since her last outing. She doesn't want to sound out dated and at the same time too hip. Mayfield, Snoop and Anita...very interesting.

I cant wait to hear the new album. Im not thrilled That she worked with Snoop on a song though.

ABeautifulOne said:

TonyVanDam said:

This comeback story is going to be interesting.

Umm she never went anywhere lol

indeed. 3 hit wonder at best.

Graycap23 said:

I wonder if her and Prince did anything 2gether recently?

he said he was working on something (was it an album, i can't remember) with her

during the tavis interview for lotusflower, didn't he? not sure if it was the same as

the jazzy things he said he was recording with the npg at the time.

i always wonder why his songs never end up on the albums of people he writes for

these days. destiny's child, beyonce, nikka costa, angie stone, to name but a few.

is it because he takes his songs back and changes his mind or is it simply impossible

for a label to work out some sort of deal with prince in order to get such a song on

an album by another artist?

i mean, you'd expect anita to at least include 1 song from their colab on her new cd

since i'm sure whatever prince did with her, would be worthy of at least 1 place on a

cd.

a song with Snoop? A remake of a Tyrese song? Doesn't sound too promising,but I'll wait and see.

I'm curious about this project. I'm not a fan of Tyrese but I remember when she pulled him out to sing some songs at her concert and he was actually very good. I forgot that he ever did Lately but that was a nice song.

[Edited 8/25/10 6:48am]

SoulAlive said:

a song with Snoop? A remake of a Tyrese song? Doesn't sound too promising,but I'll wait and see.

Those choices scare me.......

Anita Baker Works Through The Drama

Detroit Free Press

August 2010

Anita Baker, 52, is in the final stage of work on the tentatively titled “21st Century Love,” set for release Jan. 18 and featuring guests such as rapper Snoop Dogg.

She talked about it and more in an interview with the Detroit Free Press.

Q. Give us the basic story line on the new album.

A. I’ve been on road for 20 years, and what happens is, these young artists just show up at my concerts: Monica wants to know what kind of mic I’m using, Mary (J. Blige) wants to know the writing process, Snoop wants a picture. So over the years, I’ve become friends with a lot of artists, and it’s showing up on this record. ... We’re trying to bridge this (generational) chasm. With artists like Snoop — I know him as father and husband. When I wanted to do the love theme from “Superfly,” which is a beautiful ballad, he was the first person I thought of to do the dialogue at the end.

These young artists are looking for ways to grow up, and this shows they are growing up, that they’re comfortable with more mature subject matter. And I take a great deal of energy from these people. They’re kind of pulling me into the 21st century. So it’s just this lovely little melting pot of maturity and youthful energy.

Q. You took your long break to focus on family, re-emerged and went through another round of personal drama. (Baker divorced husband Walter Bridgforth Jr. in 2008.)

A. The personal stuff never stops, man. For example, I was starting to record, I thought I was moving on, and soon as you think you’re going forward, something grabs you by scruff of neck and yanks you backward. But I’m always trying to step forward.

But I’m a person, and how does that (John Lennon) saying go — “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans”? I’ve got two teenage boys. My eldest is interviewing for colleges, my youngest is in the studio with me, and if I’m doing my job correctly, it’s really about them.

Q. “Stuff that grabs you by the neck” — are you including your court case from earlier this year? (Baker was nearly jailed in a dispute over royalties in her divorce settlement.)

A. That was so insignificant in the course of things that grab me. I’m talking about life and death. I’m talking about my neighbor, who I hadn’t seen in years, and finding out she’s dying of cancer.

Courts and lawyers and the music business — that’s just another day. I’m talking about the Pistons being sold — I’m talking about real stuff. (Laughs.) I’m talking about the fact that I’m 52. Right? I’m 52! This is the stuff that yanks you. I just heard that another friend of mine just passed. I’ve been in and out of court my whole life. Entertainers have to deal with lawyers. That’s just par for the course.

Q. You’ve got a band that lets you always improvise onstage.

A. We’re going to do what we always do — start the show, let the audience tell us what we should play, and play it. It’s Michigan, it’s Detroit. I grew up watching the Motown revue come through — you hear “What key?” on Stevie Wonder’s “Fingertips.” It’s my joy doing it on the fly. It’s challenging and stimulating. When they throw a curve, you feel good if you can catch it and toss it back.

http://www.vindy.com/news...?newswatch

vainandy said:

Graycap23 said:

I wonder if her and Prince did anything 2gether recently?

Lord, I hope not.