Compositions (album)
1990 studio album by Anita Baker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Compositions is the fourth album by American R&B/soul singer Anita Baker. The album peaked at #5 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified platinum in 1990, making it Baker's third platinum selling album. The album also won the Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 1991 Grammy Awards. Two of its tracks charted on the Billboard Hot 100, with "Talk to Me" peaking at number 44 for three consecutive weeks on July 28 and August 4 and 11 and "Soul Inspiration" at number 72 on October 13, 1990.[10][11] Compositions would be the last album and collaboration between Baker and producer Michael J. Powell.
ReleasedJuly 3, 1990[1]
Recorded1990
Studio
- Encore Studios (Burbank, California)
- Ocean Way Recording (Hollywood, California)
- Studio Ultimo (Los Angeles, California)
- Sound Lab 1 (Detroit, Michigan)
- Ambience Recorders (Farmington Hills, Michigan)
- Unique Recording Studios (New York City, New York)[2]
| Compositions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 3, 1990[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1990 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 50:27 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Producer | Michael J. Powell | |||
| Anita Baker chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Compositions | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Calgary Herald | A[4] |
| Chicago Tribune | [5] |
| Robert Christgau |  [6] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[7] |
| Rolling Stone | [8] |
| Select | 4/5[9] |
Track listing
- "Talk to Me" (Baker, Vernon Fails, Michael Powell) – 5:03
- "Perfect Love Affair" (Baker, Joel Davis) – 5:19
- "Whatever It Takes" (Baker, Marc Gordon, Gerald LeVert) – 5:35
- "Soul Inspiration" (Terry Britten, Graham Lyle) – 5:17
- "Lonely" (Baker) – 4:29
- "No One to Blame" (Baker, Fails) – 4:41
- "More Than You Know" (Baker, Vernon Fails, Michael Powell) – 4:48
- "Love You to the Letter" (James McBride) – 7:20
- "Fairy Tales" (Baker, Fails, Powell) – 7:55
Personnel
Musicians
- Anita Baker – vocals, backing vocals
- Vernon Fails – keyboards
- Greg Phillinganes – acoustic piano, backing vocals (7)
- Ben Keys – programming
- David Ward – programming
- Michael J. Powell – guitars (1–4, 6, 7, 9), backing vocals (7)
- Earl Klugh – guitars (7)
- Nathan East – bass, backing vocals (7)
- Ricky Lawson – drums (1, 4, 5, 7)
- Steve Ferrone – drums (2, 3, 6, 8, 9)
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion (1, 2, 4–9)
- Perri (Carol, Darlene, Lori and Sharon Perry) – backing vocals (2, 4, 7), BGV arrangements (4)
Production
- Anita Baker – executive producer, art direction, hair styling
- Michael J. Powell – producer
- Tweed and Tominaga – production coordination
- Carol Bobolts – art direction
- Adrian Buckmaster – photography
- Alexander White – styling
- Reggie Wells – make-up
- John Stevens – lettering
- BNB Associates, Ltd. – management
Technical credits
- Bernie Grundman – mastering at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California)
- Michael J. Powell – mixing
- Barney Perkins – engineer, mixing (1, 3, 5–9)
- Milton Chan – assistant engineer, additional engineer
- Darroll Gustamachio – additional engineer
- Elliot Peters – additional engineer
- Gerard Smerek – additional engineer, mixing (2, 4)
- Tom Beiner – second engineer
- Steve Gallagher – second engineer
- Bart Stevens – second engineer
Awards
| Year | Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Compositions | Best Female R&B Vocal Performance | Won |
| Best Album Package | Nominated |
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[28] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[29] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||