My Everything is the sixth studio album by American singer Anita Baker. It was released by Blue Note Records on September 7, 2004, in the United States. It was Baker's first album for the label and her first album of new material in ten years. For her comeback album, Baker wanted to be "in control" of everything, and once again teamed up with Barry J. Eastmond and George Duke. Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds also contributed. Baker wrote or co-wrote eight of the album's ten tracks. The last track, "Men in My Life" was written for her then-husband and two sons.
The album debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 and reached the top of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 132,000 copies in its first week. By May 2005, the album had sold 568,000 copies in the US and been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Contents
Critical reception
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, My Everything received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 67 out of 100 from 8 critic scores. AllMusic editor Thom Jurek wrote that "some may be frustrated that, after such a long time, Baker doesn't push the envelope more stylistically. This may be true in terms of the material itself, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Right down the line, Baker delivers on what she does best [...]. This is a worthy return, qualitatively standing head and shoulders above most everything else in its class." Beth Johnson, writing for Entertainment Weekly, remarked that "Baker picks up where she left off in '94. Granted, there isn't a monster hit on My Everything on par with her R&B; classics like "Sweet Love," but in these say-anything times it's next to revolutionary that she can whip her warm, luxurious voice into take-me-now passion while keeping it entirely."
Personnel and credits
Musicians
Production