Singer fulfills 'Christmas Fantasy' with 1st holiday album

By Aliah D. Wright
Gannett News Service

Who she listens to

Baker flips through her CD collection when asked who she enjoys and
listens to. Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott, Rachelle Farrell, Sting, Sarah
Vaughn, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Jo Dee Messina are all in
the mix.



So how does a musician get in the mood to record a Christmas album in
June?

"My Christmas tree has not come down yet," Anita Baker laughs during
an interview about her first album of holiday music, Christmas
Fantasy.

"We strung Christmas lights up in the studio and in the control room."

Baker's Fantasy isn't really a Christmas album. It's a jazz album
disguised as one. But is that what she intended?

"Oh absolutely," she says. "We always knew that my second record was
going to be a jazz record. We just didn't know what the content was
going to be."

But "when all of these awesome musicians became available, I just
didn't want to wait. I said, 'Why don't we do a Christmas jazz
record?' And we started cutting it back in June."

The album, finished in just two weeks ("I've never in my musical life
done anything in two weeks," Baker says) is simply phenomenal.

Working with some of the most stellar jazz musicians in the business —
Joe Sample, George Duke, the Yellow Jackets, and former session
guitarist Larry Carlton — Baker has delivered a must-have stocking
stuffer for jazz fans.

Baker scats and wails her way through such traditional favorites as
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Frosty's Rag, a ragtime version of
Frosty the Snowman, and I'll Be Home for Christmas.

Her rendition of My Favorite Things blows Julie Andrews' completely
off the planet.

Another standout is her melodic Moonlight Sleighride, destined to be
a classic.

"We're so excited about that song," Baker says. "It was supposed to
have lyrics all the way through," but she couldn't bring herself to
sing over Joe Sample's dazzling piano work during the live recording
session.

"I just came up with that chorus and you just get to hear him do his
thing."

Baker says she is still surprised by how well her last album, My
Everything, released last year after a 10-year hiatus, was received.

"I'm humbled by it," she says, adding that family obligations are
what kept her away for so long. "No, I don't regret it. I wish it
didn't have to happen, but I don't regret it one second. When my
parents passed away I was right there. I wouldn't trade it for
nothing."

Ask her whom she would like to collaborate with next and Baker pauses
before listing a slew of folks, including India.Arie, Nile Rodgers,
Sample and Herbie Hancock.

"I'm so upset that I wasn't involved on that new Herbie Hancock
collaboration," she laughs playfully.

"I think I'm going to do some work with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on
the next project." But Baker is unsure of when that will be.