Title: An eclectic debut
Product review: Unlike her later work which focussed exclusively on jazz-influenced R&B ballads, The Songstress, Anita Baker's debut, is a more eclectic collection. There are even a couple of funk/soul dance numbers on the album (though some fans may be shocked to hear her sing, "Like the way you shake your thang"). Unsurprisingly, however, the album's best songs are ballads: "Angel," and the midtempo, "You're the Best Thing Yet," which brims with a wonderful sense of urgency and showcases Baker's stunning vocal range without ever resorting to Mariah Carey-like hysterics. The rest of the songs on the album aren't bad, but for the most part sound like work by a new artist who has not yet found consistent artistic direction. All in all, The Songstress was a promising debut, but not a great album.
Would you say this review depicts the product in a flattering or unflattering light?
