Sunday Diva / Three From The Hip: Anita Baker

Sunday Diva / Three From The Hip: 

Anita Baker

In my own personal big gay church, there are many wings. Today, we visit the wing dedicated to those of The Quiet Storm; divas who have the ability to mesmerize with their voices, bringing us into their world, seducing us, providing emotional shelter and a uniquely intimate experience. One such voice...

Anita Baker.

Velvet has never been so lush, so smooth. 

Cognac has never tasted sweeter. 

In her lifetime, she has lit many a fire.

Sophisticated love. 

Rapture.

Enveloping, caressing.

Her voice, a romantic bed strewn with willing, yearning hearts.

Blessed and successful, she became a mother twice and a Grammy winner eight times. 

Our lady seemed set, having found a deep, satisfying groove, but life had other plans.

Her personal fairy tale ended not-so-sweetly.

Then she became an activist, exposing some of the music industry's dirty little secrets, lending her voice to the struggle for artists to the retain rights over the masters of their recordings.  

A single song in 2012 raised hope for a full-fledged album, but, despite another Grammy nomination, it never materialized, was never completed. 

Her farewell tour in 2018 sealed the deal. 

Still her legacy lives on, her sound, immortal.

The gospel according to her?

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from her lips.

The topic? Priorities

"My father worked on assembly lines in Detroit while I was growing up. Every day, I watched him do what he needed to do to support the family. But he told me, 'Life is short. Do what you want to do.'"

"If I could be doing anything, I'd be laying on the floor in my birthday suit eating junk food and watching something dumb on TV.  I'm picking and choosing in terms of the stress factor. If it's not fun, I'm not going to do it."

"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.'"

Sweet Love - Anita Baker

Fairy Tales - Anita Baker

You're My Everything - Anita Baker

And one last parting shot...

"If you have your own agenda and your own style and you don't easily conform to what the masses are doing, you're looked upon as being difficult. Whereas, I think of it as just being an individual."