Anita Baker's music soothes like a warm, plush blanket. Over a career spanning more than 30 years, the R&B doyenne's balladry has been a quiet, refined storm—a velvety strain of smooth jazz textures, slow tempos and earnest tenderness. Her expressive alto is unmistakable, ascending and sustaining with the richness of a viola atop hip-swaying keyboards on the 1986 breakthrough single “Sweet Love”, and fluttering and soaring joyously on “Just Because”. Capable of evoking passion and sorrow with equal conviction, she's the ideal late-night companion for lovers and yearners.