One of the last of the great eighties balladeers, Anita Baker gave us this beautiful pop ballad, a gift to the VH1 airwaves. Anita sways and moves, almost in a convulsive way, as she belts Sweet Love and it’s all true and real and honest. Every sound from her perfect voice is accentuated by movement, just as the song accentuates the emotions it relays. This is one of the first times a video for a love song seemed to define the song more than its radio airplay, which makes sense since Anita Baker is a very visual, physical artist. It’s one of the many things that made me fall head over heels for her and this reverent song. Also, she’s backlit so eighties I can barely handle it.
From the historical writing archive. Original date: November 19, 2019. Recovered from local source material; editorial review is still in progress.