Anita Baker

With the success of singer Anita Baker's Rapture, a new musical appellation came into being: "Quiet Storm." Baker's elegant, smoldering approach to R&B was a marked return to traditional vocalizing. In her controlled passion, Baker was reminiscent of one of her idols, jazz-pop singer Nancy Wilson.

After singing in church choirs as a child, Baker began her professional career with the Detroit band...